Kamen Rider Pyro Vs Hydro
by cchin2375
Summary: Two brothers are separated by fate, and that same fate brought them back together as enemies. How will both of them fare? To make matters worse, they are pitted against each other in a battle for the elements for their chance at an almighty wish. Who will win in this twisted game?
1. Episode 1

**Kaizen: **Almost every day, I think about what happened fifteen years ago.

**Ryujin: **When I was just three years old, both of my parents were caught in the crossfire of a war between gang rivals and were murdered. We had no close family, so we were sent to an orphanage for the first half of our lives...

Hello? You forgot to introduce me, Kaizen. Sheesh, you're always so forgetful! If you're not going to, then I will.

_Ahem _

Hello, everyone listening! My name is-

**Kaizen: **Do you mind, Ryujin? I'm trying to start our story with a dramatic beginning and here you are being an idiot like always. For someone who has a higher education than me, one would think you would know your manners. You'll get your chance, now be patient!

**Ryujin: **Fine. Go ahead and finish your dumb introduction. You were always the slow one.

**Kaizen: **I'll get you for that later. Now, where was I? Oh, right.

Ryujin and I were sent to the orphanage at a very young age. The orphanage was very delightful to live in, and Ryujin and I had tons of fun there. We did everything together: we ate together, we slept together, we played together, we did anything and everything together. I never wanted to be separated from my brother for two reasons. First, I was bad at making friends at the orphanage because most of the kids would always come and go before I had a chance to say my name, and I was only familiar with my brother. Second, he was the only family that I had left, and the thought of losing him scared me so much it became one of my biggest fears.

A few years later, when I was seven years old and Ryujin was five, my worst nightmare had come true. A young couple came by and saw both me and my brother. They… they only wanted my brother. When I heard the news, I fell to my knees in shock. Tears ran down my face and before my brother could calm me down, I ran for our room and locked myself inside. Both Ryujin and the caretaker knocked on the door multiple times, but I wouldn't budge. When I came out for dinner, both of them asked if I was okay. I then felt angry and lashed out on both of them, saying that Ryujin was never my brother and how the caretaker didn't raise me well enough to be presentable for adoption. I ran back to my room and slept and for the next few days, I wouldn't even face Ryujin. Then the day of adoption came, and Ryujin was taken away from me for good. I… I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye.

**Ryujin: **Kaizen,... are you okay? You're breathing pretty heavily there, brother. If you'd like, I can take over for now.

**Kaizen: **That… that would be nice, actually. Thank you, Ryujin.

**Ryujin: **Alright, I'm going to take over for now. Hello, everyone, my name is Kaiyomichi Ryujin, but my real name is Kagutsuchi Ryujin. This is my side of the story.

I still think about what happened fifteen years ago on some days.

After I was separated from my brother, Kagutsuchi Kaizen, I felt immense sadness come over me. My only family had been cut out from my life like a ribbon, and there was nothing I could do about it. I begged my adoptive parents' car for them to turn back around and bring my brother with them or leave me behind. They disagreed, saying that they only had enough time and energy to support one child. When brought to my new house and room, I locked myself in there for about a week because I was so depressed. Eventually, my emotional scars healed, but at a price. Because the most recent memories of my brother at the time were him yelling at me and basically disowning me, I pushed him away in my mind. I pushed him so far away I forgot that he ever existed.

**Kaizen: **Hold up, you said in your introduction that you still think about what happened fifteen years ago. How could you if you had pushed me so far away to the point of forgetting me?

**Ryujin: **Simple, I dreamed about what happened. I didn't dream of you exactly, but those feelings and vague memories were present on nights when I felt any negative emotions. Although it wasn't a pleasant dream, it was a dream that also brought back some sort of wicked nostalgia. Now, don't interrupt me again or else you'll regret it.

**Kaizen: **Continue on, then.

**Ryujin: **As far as I was concerned, I had always lived with my adoptive parents. I knew about the orphanage still, but it was very distant in my mind. My parents were very caring and supportive of the things that I wanted to do and wanted to accomplish. They steered me in the right direction, and they were always understanding when it came to my mistakes. I wanted to make them proud of me, after all, they chose me out of any other child at the orphanage. So, I worked my hardest: got good grades in school, tried out for many extracurricular activities, and helped out with the community from time to time. My parents may had been very accomplished and rich, but they were always humble and sweet with everyone around them, myself included.

I graduated my high school with top marks and had already been accepted into multiple colleges. But I wasn't aiming for college, I was aiming to follow in my father's footsteps; to become a politician to help better Japan. My parents were skeptical at first for turning down the chance to go into a higher school, but they soon embraced my decision. But they still wanted me to go to college, so they made me go there for a full year to get a better understanding of what I was aiming for. And so, at twenty years old, I was already on the path to becoming one of the most successful people in Japan.

**Kaizen: **Alright, bro. It's about time I stepped back and gave my point of view of what happened to me for those 15 years after you left.

**Ryujin: **The stage is yours, Kaizen.

**Kaizen: **Thank you, Ryujin.

My life then took a surprising turn, and I don't know whether if it was good or bad.

For eleven years, I had spent my time in the orphanage. I attended the public school nearby for my education. My grades weren't the best, but I was smart enough to graduate within the top twenty percent of my class. Since there were not many colleges or universities in my area, I decided to work immediately after graduating. So, I got some money from the caretaker after graduation so I could start off with some sort of platform to stand on.

**Ryujin: **I feel as if you're not giving enough credit to our old caretaker, Kaizen. You didn't even mention her name.

**Kaizen: **I mean, she wasn't very relevant to the story to begin with, so I thought to make her character as vague as possible. Besides, I don't see you giving her credit during your parts, either.

**Ryujin: **W-well, that's because I had assumed you would do so! So, this is technically your fault!

**Kaizen: **WHAT! How dare you! Fine, I'll tell our audience about her, just for you! The name that we knew her by was Ms. Ochimizu and-

**Ryujin: **Okay, okay, enough! You don't have to, alright! You always get so heated whenever I chastise you.

**Kaizen: **Don't interrupt me again, Ryujin, or else I'll make YOU regret it!

**Ryujin: **Sheesh, sorry. Go on ahead, your majesty.

**Kaizen: **Once this episode is over, I'm really going to lay into you for that. Now, where was I?

Once I moved out at the age of eighteen from the orphanage, I decided to find a job, so applied at every job opening I could find. Fortunately, one was open, and I could start immediately: the convenience store a few blocks away. The store was also conveniently located next to an apartment complex that was very low on rent. Although the apartments themselves have a time limit on the electricity and water one could use, it was just enough for me to stay in. And so, for the next four years, I spent my life in a small apartment and working at a convenience store next door.

One day as I was heading out from work, I saw a huge column of smoke coming from around the area that the orphanage was located at. Fear ran through my veins, as the orphanage was still functioning, and I knew there were children inside. I went to visit there occasionally to say hi to Ms. Ochimizu and the kids who lived there. I ran towards the orphanage and to my horror, the building was on fire. Firefighters had already arrived and were battling the immense flames. I heard one of them say something about the fire being caused by the oven, which was redundant at the moment. I just wanted to know if the people that resided there were safe.

I then met with Ms. Ochimizu, who had gathered all the children around her, except for one. I asked her, "Where's Kyoko? Is she still in the building?" She replied with a wavering tone, " I couldn't f-f-find her anywhere a-and I fear the worst m-may have happened." She started sobbing into my shoulder and I couldn't help but feel dread flow down my spine. Kyoko was by far my favorite orphan from the orphanage, she always had a smile on her face and was always happy to see me. I saw a bright future in her, and I didn't want that to be taken away from her, just like my brother had been taken from me.

I ran into the building while Ms. Ochimizu watched in horror and the firemen trying to stop me from entering the massive blaze. Once inside, I covered my mouth with my hat I was wearing. I then took off my jacket and used it as cover from any falling debris. With limited airflow and visibility, I managed to find Kyoko's room upstairs and there she was, huddled in the corner and crying. I ran to her and said, "Don't worry, I'm here to save you, okay?" She whimpered a tiny "Okay" and I signaled her to climb into my arms and she hugged me like a panda. Fortunately, her room was located right next to the window located at the front of the building. The firefighters had reacted quickly, already setting up the trampoline when they saw my face. "Now, we're going to play a game, Kyoko. Are you ready?" She then showed a weak smile and said okay. I then said, "I'm going to throw you out the window, and you have to try your very hardest to land on the trampoline, okay? Can you do that for me?" Her smile got a little bit bigger, which was enough for me to throw her out.

Once I had done so, I was about to jump out the window myself, but before I could, the ceiling in front of the window gave way and blocked the exit. I knew didn't have much time left; my eyesight was getting blurry and darker, and my lungs felt like there were being seared. I took shelter in Kyoko's room and recreated the same fetal position she was in. "Please, someone help me…" I said as I felt my life draining away.

"_So, you are in need of salvation, is that correct?"_ I opened my eyes and looked around the room, but nothing was there, or so I thought. The flames around me then danced and swayed unnaturally until it made a humanoid shape. "W-who are you…" I said weakly to the flame figure. _"If you so desire, I shall grant you another chance at life. However, your new life will come at a cost. Serve me, and I shall save your life. You have deemed yourself worthy enough to become my warrior after saving someone else's life." _I weakly nodded to the figure and then felt my eyes close and my world turned black.

I immediately snapped my eyes open and sit up. It was night outside and the time read that is was just past midnight. The last thing I remembered was being in a burning building on the brink of death. So why was I in my apartment in my bed? "What happened?" I said aloud. Then I remember the fiery form that had appeared before me in the burning orphanage. All of a sudden, heat began to rise in my apartment and soon flames began to swirl around next to my bed, forming that same burning silhouette.

"_I saved your life, now your life serves me." _it said. I was shocked, that same burning figure is now a foot from my bed and hovering off the ground. "Hold up, hold up. Who are you? _What_ are you? How did you save my life? Is the orphanage okay? What about-"

"_Patience, young one. Take a moment to breathe. That is what humans do, correct?"_

Humans? I mean sure, it was obvious that the thing wasn't human itself, but it was still shocking to come to that realization. Then again, I was talking to a pillar of fire standing in my room.

"_To answer your questions, human: I am the epitome of the element of fire. I have been known by humans throughout history as a god. Hephaestus, Vulcan, Surt. Any fire deity known throughout the history of mankind has been some variation of me. But you may call me… Dekkai."_

"_I saved your life because you had the courage and kindness of a warrior that I had been seeking. I used a little of my power to reanimate you, so it appeared you had ran out of the fire yourself, but I had controlled you. As for the building, it had been partially destroyed by the flames. And your companions who had resided in that building are all safe, they are taking residence at this 'hotel' a few thousand paces to the east."_

Warrior? I can't fight to save my life. The only exercise I get is from walking back and forth from my job to my apartment, and the occasional two kilometer run. Something else bugged me, however, "So if you're the epitome of fire, why did you burn the building? Why do you cause so much destruction in general?"

"_I may be the essence of fire, but that does not mean I have full force over it. A part of me was taken away when that damn Prometheus took the flame to give to humans. Since then, the humans had run wild and rampant with that side of me; the angry, unforgiving side that wants to destroy all in its path."_

I was shocked… even more than I was before. I didn't know what to think of this, but just then I remembered one crucial detail:

"What is this price that I have to pay?"

"_Ah yes, that. Let me give you some memories to… fill you in on what happened for the last couple of millennia."_

The pillar/figure approached me slowly and I flinched. A swirl of the fire extended towards my forehead and before I could react, it touched me.

The memories flooded in once there was contact. There was conflict in an empty space. I had taken the point of view of the red-colored energy. Surrounding me was three other colors: blue, green, and violet. Us four had cornered two other energies: one white and one pure black. The battle had been going on ever since the declining power of light and darkness. The blue energy and I had the higher advantage above the green and violet energies and had almost defeated light and dark itself. Then betrayal happened and it was a free-for-all. After even more centuries of fighting, we all called a ceasefire for the fear of destroying the only ground that we had. We then agreed to come back to fight again after ten millennia. And now, that time has come.

"W-what was all of that? Why was there conflict? And what does it have to do with me?"

"_In today's world, we cannot show our true forms for the fact that it will eradicate all life if we do. Our forms are just that powerful. Instead, we had devised a way to continue the fight. We have all agreed to choose a candidate to fight for us. If that candidate wins, they will get the chance to have any desire of them granted, with no restrictions on what that wish is."_

Any wish? My mind raced to my brother who I had not seen since the age of seven. Could I really get him back? Apologize for my behavior and make up with him? We can become a family again? Before I could even think about, I spoke without hesitation:

"I'll do it."

"_Very good, that is what I like to hear. In order to fight for me, you will need special equipment. I had taken control over some of the world's most brilliant minds to make this for you, so I hope you use it well. Unfortunately, this contraption had to be shared with the other five. Your objective for now is to collect cards 2 through 10."_

**Ryujin: **I never understood why they based our powers off of a deck of cards. It seems redundant, don't you think?

**Kaizen: **Huh, that's strange, I was just about to ask him. Do you know what else is also strange?

**Ryujin: **Hmmm?

**Kaizen: **You're interrupting me for the third time now.

**Ryujin: **...Sorry.

**Kaizen: **A second, smaller pillar of fire appeared next to Dekkai. After appearing for about ten seconds, it disappeared, leaving behind a strange contraption and a single playing card. The card had a strange symbol on it; it was meant to represent the ace of clubs, but the club was actually what seemed to be a phoenix, its long tail forming the stump of the club and the wings extended to its side to make the two side nodes, while the head formed the top node. I picked up the card and turned it around and almost dropped it. The back of the card had six colors on the back: red, blue, green, violet, black, and white. The card had been divided into a two-by-three grid and had those color with their respective elements _moving_ in those sections. In the middle of the card was another strange symbol: a flower with six pointed petals with the colors in them and in the core of the flower was nothing. It was as if someone stole the core of the flower and left behind just an empty void.

I put down the card and looked at the contraption. It was about the size of my shoe, but it had a vertical-oriented screen in the middle. There was a hinge at the bottom of the glass screen, so I assumed it open and when I tested it out, it did. On each side of the glass screen there was a dial each; the left side had a gold dial with six color appearing in the groove of the dial: red, green, white, blue, violet, and black. The right dial was silver in contrast, but it still had the same six colors as the gold dial did. The contraption's base color was a dull silver and gold mixture, but there were empty lights that weren't working. This… this reminded me of something, a show that Ryujin and I used to watch together every Sunday.

"Is this a Kamen Rider belt? Did you really want the fate of your success to be based on a children's show?"

"_We saw that this was the most efficient way of combat. That belt itself contains energy that I had put in there myself and the card is actually a set of thirteen; hidden all across Japan for you to find. There will be three other riders going against you, and you can steal each other's cards. For each card you obtain, you unlock new powers that you can use to take advantage of your opponents. Once you have three more cards, a new opportunity will be given to you. As will the next three cards you obtain, and then the final three cards. Do you understand?_

I started to protest, but then my legs gave out under me. Dekkai was right, I really needed rest. "Where will you be when you are absent?", I asked. _"Don't worry, I'll take residence inside your body. I won't control you, and most of the time I will be sound asleep, so your privacy is safe. But if something comes up, I can always be summoned at a moment's notice."_

Without warning, Dekkai funneled its way into my chest until there was no more fire in my room. Strangely, it didn't hurt; instead it was more of some type of mass filling me up inside. There was nothing else I could do after that, so I set the card and the belt on my dresser and went to bed for the night, wondering what will happen tomorrow. As I dreamt, I thought of the name "Pyro" many times...

**Kaizen: **Alright, I'm done for now. You can finish up your side on how you got your belt.

**Ryujin: **It's about time, you really take your time with your side.

My life took a surprising turn, and I don't even know if it was for the better or worse.

It all started at a yacht party that I was attending overseas in the United States. My father wanted me to make good connections with people all across the world, so he flew me to California for a time of fun and to get to know powerful people there.

On the yacht were some influential people from the United States. Several actors and actresses, the children of political leaders, famous athletes were there as well as some Japanese politicians' children as well. My father's best friend in the political world has a daughter named Rina around my age and she was attending the party as well. Rina and I were on good terms with each other, and occasionally had lunch together. Her boyfriend on the other hand, didn't like me that much, and he was at the party as well.

We were all just talking, drinking, and enjoying the sun in our swimsuits. Suddenly, I heard a scream and then a splash. I looked around and saw Rina in the water while she was trying to reach the boat. I knew a good bit about Rina, and I know for a fact she couldn't swim. Without hesitation, I jumped in after her and swam towards her direction. I did many school extracurricular activities, and one of those was the swimming club. I got to Rina and swam back to the boat, which had now stopped. Once we got back onto the boat, people crowded around us and gave us a towel to dry off. Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Rina's boyfriend had showed up to the bottom part of the yacht. I could tell he was drunk because of the smell and that the alcoholic drinks were located on the top layer. "W-what do you t-think you're doing there, Ryujin?" he said as he swayed in place. "I just saved your girlfriend, man. She almost drowned and you did nothing to help her!" Rina was a nice person, but her boyfriend was just a cruel person. She deserved someone way better than him. "W-what the hell did you say to me? I'll have you k-know that I can beat your ass to a p-pulp." He then attempted to try and tackle me to the ground. He may be a huge jerk, but that jerk was strong, and he succeeded in tackling me. I hit my head on the yacht's floor and saw stars. Then, I was picked up by Rina's boyfriend and was thrown off the yacht and into the water, where I landed headfirst.

This dude sounds like a real asshole, why didn't you try and fight back?

I was still on a task to make good friends with powerful people, I didn't want to seem like I would throw hands at any chance I got.

You're hopeless. What you were supposed to do was defend yourself and hold him down. Not the other way around!

Oh, shut it. Without that happening, you would have never seen me again, now would it? And who's telling the story here?

Fine, go on ahead.

My head hurt so much when I made contact with the water. Most of the time I enjoyed the water, it was always calm and refreshing. This water however, felt dark and dangerous. I was losing air. I was losing my life.

"_So, you are in need of salvation, is that correct?"_

I opened my eyes slightly and I couldn't believe my eyes. The dark currents in front of me were letting light in, and that light formed a humanoid shape. If not for the fact that I was underwater and drowning, I would be terrified and be struck with awe. Somehow, I was hearing that voice inside my head. It scared me so much that I almost passed out, but it said something that piqued my interest.

"_If you so desire, I shall grant you another chance at life. However, your new life will come at a cost. Serve me, and I shall save your life. You have deemed yourself worthy enough to become my warrior after saving someone else's life."_

I did not want to die at the hands of Rina's stupid boyfriend. I also did not want to die in general. So, I weakly nodded to the figure and then felt my eyes close and my world turn black.

Immediately I snap up from my bedsheets and look around. I was back at my hotel room and the clock next to me read 12:08 a.m. I was very confused, wasn't I just drowning in the waters of California? I then remember the currents making a humanoid figure with the light and wonder if it was just a hallucination. The room suddenly got colder and more humid, and a column of water started to form out of thin air. The column grew to about my height, and then warped and twisted itself into that same humanoid figure.

"_I saved your life, now your life serves me."_, the figure spoke. I realized it had _spoken_ to me instead of speaking inside of my mind. Then again, the best way for it to talk to me underwater would probably be in my head.

"I have some questions. How am I alive? What are you? What is your business with me?"

"_Straight to the point, I see. Then this discussion will be straightforward."_

"_I have many gifts and talents. Possession is one of them. I possessed you to get back onto the boat and take a nap for the rest of the yacht ride. Then I teleported you to your hotel room, and I knew where it was because I accessed you memories on where you were staying. Do not worry, that was the only memory I had looked at; your personal life is still safe from me."_

"_For your next question, I am the epitome of water. Any past deity that concerned the element of water was a part of me: Poseidon, Neptune, Aiger. All of them are a part of me, but you may call me… Kaiyojuni."_

"_And for your last question, you are in debt to me. Your valiant heart and unwavering determination helped me choose you as my warrior."_

Warrior? I'm no warrior, just a son of a politician. I started to speak up, but Kaiyojuni interrupted me.

"_Your efforts will not be without fruition, however. After this conflict is over, the remaining warrior will be granted any desire they wish to come true."_

Any desire… come true? I could wish for wealth or infinite knowledge, but there was only one thing that I actually desired: Rina's love. I've actually grown to love her over the years, but she is stuck with her idiot boyfriend. During our lunch dates together, she would constantly complain about how she wanted to break up with him but couldn't because her parents wanted a male heir to their wealth and chose _him_. The more I listened, the more I felt like I had to do something to help her out; she really hated him. But the more I listened, the more I fell for her as well; she was gorgeous, funny and pretty, and had hinted at me about wanting to find a better guy than her current boyfriend. Before I could think about it, my heart spoke for me;

"I accept your terms."

"_Excellent, now to fight, you must have this with you at all times. Your first goal is to return to Japan and find the next nine cards."_

A small pillar of water then appeared next to Kaiyojuni. It swirled for a few seconds, then disappeared, leaving behind a strange device and a playing card. The card seemed to represent the ace of hearts. But instead of a plain graphic of a heart, it was actually an elaborate picture of a dragon. The dragon's body formed the perimeter of the heart, and its head filled the middle of the heart. I then picked up the card and turned it around, and what I saw was breathtaking. The back of the card was split into six sections; made with two columns and three rows. Each section of the card had a different color: red, blue, green, violet, white, and black; and each section had an element of some sort actually moving on the card. In the middle of the card was a shuriken-like symbol with those same six colors on each blade, and the middle of the star was nothing. The middle looked like as if there was something missing from it, and it was somehow unnerving.

The device was gold and silver in its base, and the shape of it was similar to an American football with the points cut off to make its edges be about eight centimeters in length. On the device was a screen with a hinge at the bottom and two dials, with gold on the left and silver on the right. Both dials had various colors in their grooves. Suddenly, a memory resurfaced in my mind. That memory was of me watching a certain children's show during Sunday as I was doing my schoolwork.

"Did you give me a Kamen Rider belt? If the answer is 'yes', this is the most insulting way to fight someone. Why am I fighting in the first place, anyway?"

"_Do not complain about the equipment given to you, it was not my idea. It was Dekkai, the fire element's idea to do so. And for the reason you and I are fighting the other elements…"_

Kaiyojuni then extended a watery tentacle-like appendage towards me and before I could react, the limb touched my forehead.

The conflict, the pain and suffering, the gap between success and failure at a moment's notice, the betrayal, and the millennia all seeped into my brain and mind. All of the feelings that Kaiyojuni had experienced over the last few millennia suddenly filled my head, and I had collapsed from the rush of emotions and memories.

"_You must be tired after experiencing that, but you understand now, don't you? What must be done, must be done."_

"_For the time being, I am going to reside within you. When I am inside you, I will fall into a comatose state, and I will have no control over what you decide to do. I will not access your memories as well, to keep your personal life to yourself. Now, go rest and good luck with your search."_

There were still many questions that I wanted to ask: such as who the other three riders were, what was the purpose of finding these cards, why did these cards have the power of the elements inside them. Before I could, Kaiyojuni funneled into a spiral and moved into my chest, leaving me feel more… complete, somehow. I couldn't do anything else, so I decided to take the water being's advice and head to sleep. As I dreamt, I kept thinking of the name "Hydro" over and over…

**Ryujin: **Well, I'm done for now as well. Let's get some rest, shall we, Kaizen?

**Kaizen: **Yeah, we probably should. Until next time, everyone!

**Ryujin: **Goodbye, for now. We'll be back later to continue our story and what happens during the first fight. Hey, Kaizen, we should go get something to eat…

**?: **They really are optimistic, are they? Those two, I almost envy their joy and excitement.

_?: _Now, now. They're just boys, are they not? Let them have their fun for now. We'll show up in their story, eventually.

**?: **Wait, is this thing recording our conversation? Let's destroy it while we have the-

_?:_Stop! I have a feeling that this device will come in handy later. Let it record us, it doesn't know our identities. I want to have some fun for a little while before those boys realize what they are really getting themselves into.

**?: **Fine, but I'm only going for your suggestions so I can steal their cards from them when I have the chance. I want to see those faces of despair when they realize how powerless they are. Hey, is this thing still on? We'll be back, just you wait…

_?:_Goodbye, for now. Let's meet up later in the future, shall we?

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading Episode 1 of Kamen Rider Pyro vs. Hydro! I truly appreciate it. Because of the way FanFiction is set up, I had to use a script form so things wouldn't get too complicated. Originally, I had the different characters set in different colors so that it was easier to distinguish who was who. If you want to see that version, go check out Kamen Rider Pyro vs. Hydro over at Archive of Our Own. Also, a good friend of mine has his story called Kamen Rider Raptor on Fanfiction; please show him some support! And again, thank you for reading episode 1 of Kamen Rider Pyro vs. Hydro! New chapters will be up every 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month, so stay tuned!


	2. Episode 2

**Kaizen: **Hey, you're back! Great to see you again. So, you're back for more, right?

**Ryujin: **Kaizen, at least bring them up to speed with what happened last time. What if they didn't get the chance to listen to it?

**Kaizen: **Well, it's their fault for not listening to the first two episodes! Why would you come to the next episode expecting a recap? Just listen to the last episode; it isn't that hard.

But-

**Kaizen: **Stop it. This is my episode. You're just a side character for today.

**Ryujin: **You are so unbearable sometimes, brother.

**Kaizen: **I could say the same to you, Ryujin. Don't test me.

I woke up the next day feeling refreshed and well-rested. Was it only yesterday that all those events happened? Is Ms. Ochimizu, Kyoko, and the rest of the children okay? Just to make sure, I decided to go check on them.

I walked to the hotel that was close to the burned orphanage. When I walked past the orphanage, I suddenly remembered all the memories of having to do with this place: how I grew up here, what I ate every breakfast and dinner, how I would stay up at night trying to play with my handheld console, and how my brother was…

"No," I thought to myself. "Not right now, when you have to check up on Ms. Ochimizu and the kids." Without a second glance, I turned away from the destroyed orphanage and headed down the path to the hotel.

"Hi, I'm here to check up on Ms. Ochimizu and the kids. I used to live at the orphanage, so I wanted to stop by and see if they were doing alright." The front desk attendant then nodded her head in understanding and said, "Go up to the third floor and their group is located at the far end of the right hallway. You can knock on any of the two doors, the kids and her are all located in there."

**Ryujin: **Don't hotel rooms usually have one or two beds per room? And weren't there a lot of kids that had lived in that orphanage?

**Kaizen: **Well, ever since I left the orphanage, fewer and fewer kids have been sent to the orphanage. When I moved out, there were only seven kids left, including Kyoko.

**Ryujin: **Ah, I see. Back then, there were around twenty kids living in that place, weren't there?

**Kaizen: **You still remember that? That was such a long time ago, too. I'll have to tell you of my life at the orphanage without you sometime in the future.

When I reached the rooms, I knocked on the door to my right. I chose the right door, because Ms. Ochimizu herself answered it. Ms. Ochimizu was in her sixties: with a neat bun to tie her hair in place, a throw-on sweater with a white blouse, a long black skirt that ran to her ankles, and sneakers. "My, my. If it isn't Kaizen! I'm glad that you're here, but what brings you to this place? How did you even know that the children and I were staying here?" Oh, crap! I didn't think about that factor at all! I knew they were staying here because Dekkai, the fire element, told me all of this after it saved me. Should I say that I talked with the firemen about where they were staying? Before I could speak, however, Dekkai decided to possess me and gave her an answer himself;

"_Oh, I was just wondering where you could have gone after the fire had burned down the orphanage. I'm so sorry that happened, if I was there, I would have done all I could to put the fire out. But to find out where you and the children went, I asked all around town, and got helpful answers from many of the residents. So, here I am, madam." _What was that?! Is Dekkai out of its mind? I didn't ask him to do such a thing at all! Ms. Ochimizu, however, seemed satisfied with the answer and didn't notice the voice change at all. "Oh, thank you, dear, for checking up on me and the children! You were always so nice and sweet. Why don't we go for a walk?"

Before I knew it, I was walking with Ms. Ochimizu to the local park. She left the oldest orphan in charge before she left, who was a boy by the age of fourteen. On the way there, she asked me the usual questions one would ask to catch up. "How have you been?" "How is your new job going?" It was nothing too fancy. Our arrival at the park happened shortly after a fifteen-minute walk.

At the park, there were many things happening: children playing, couples walking, dogs playing with their owners. All these things made me feel nostalgic for the days at the orphanage: with me and Ryujin playing outside, watching old romantic comedies, and occasionally going to the pet store for field trips. Remembering all those things made me a little bit sad, so I tried to hide my face from Ms. Ochimizu. Before I could, she saw my face and read it like a book. "You know, I'm getting to that age where I should be taking care of myself for as long as possible. Pretty soon, I won't be able to keep care of the orphanage anymore." I looked at her in complete disbelief. I knew that she was getting older by the day, but it still hurt to hear that come from her. I couldn't imagine the orphanage without her. "I'll need someone else to look after the children when I go. I was thinking of having you inherit the property. I don't have any actual children, so I might as well hand the orphanage over to my most successful 'son'. How about it?"

Me… inherit the orphanage? I couldn't do such a thing; I don't feel qualified enough. That's a lot of responsibility, first of all. I can't take care of multiple children by myself; I can't even remember when my next shift is. "I certainly couldn't do it, Ms. Ochimizu! I don't even know the first step to childcare is! How do I-" Ms. Ochimizu cut me off with a stern look and says, "I do not know anyone else who can do this for me. If I'm not there, who-"

All of a sudden, everyone in the park was running away from something. People were screaming and running towards the exit of the park. I turned to see what was causing all of this, and I couldn't believe my eyes. The monster that had caused all of this seemed to look human, but there were many things that set it apart. For starters, its skin was a sky blue, and instead of hair it had long lightning bolts acting as its long hair and beard. The monster was muscular, wearing a toga and sandals, and wielding a lightning bolt by its side. If I didn't know any better, I thought it could have been the personification of Zeus, the god of lightning. Instinctively, I start to shield Ms. Ochimizu from the being, stepping in front of her to block the path between her and the monstrous Zeus.

"Do you think that doing that will stop my servant?" I turned to the direction of the voice and saw what I could only describe as an angel. The woman was covered in white armor with gold accents from head to toe, with a flowing cape to match. Her chest piece was designed to imitate angel wings, with the feathers expanding across her shoulders. Her boots and arm guards were shining in the sun with gold trimming around the edges, and her gloves having that same material on the back of her hands. By her side was a long lance/rapier hybrid and her cape had an ornate pattern on it. What caught my attention the most though, was her helmet and belt. The helmet was mostly white, with three gold lines going across the enlarged eyes, which were crystalline white. Those three gold bars also appeared on either side of her helmet and a small golden ring encircled the top of her helmet, to imitate a halo. Her belt was an exact replica of mine, except the lights that were out on mine were glowing white on hers. Inside the driver was a card labeled "JOKER", with a picture of a prancing unicorn

"You must be surprised to see a Kamen Rider so early in your quest to gain your suit of cards." the woman said. "But that path will not be easy for you. I, for one, am against the idea of you getting those cards. Because if you do, it will affect me and my partner directly. So, to avoid complications, I'm here to take your life."

Uh, I really did not like the sound of that suggestion. I had to go hide somewhere, I have to get out of here, I have to-

"Who do you think you are? You will not kill this man! He is the heir to my orphanage or so help me!" Ms. Ochimizu cried out to the female Kamen Rider

**Ryujin: **Ha! Ms. Ochimizu has bigger balls than you'll ever have! When I faced my first opponent I-

**Kaizen: **Don't make me tell Rina about the time you peed your pants at least once a week for as long as I knew you in the orphanage and the most recent incident just a few days ago.

**Ryujin: **I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sor-

**Kaizen: **That's more like it. Now shut it, side character.

**Ryujin: **At least refer to me by my real name…

**Kaizen: **"Those are strong words for a woman your age. I admire that. I'll strike a deal with you, if you leave right now, your friend right here will get a quick and painless death, instead of the torture I had in store for him." Wait a minute, she was going to _torture_ me? I could not have that happen to me at all. And more importantly, I couldn't have Ms. Ochimizu stand around here; there would be a high chance of her dying. "Ms. Ochimizu, please go on ahead. I'll deal with this woman and her… friend here." Reluctantly, she stepped away from the area and yelled out to me, "Meet me at the hotel when you talk things out, okay?" With that final note, she headed back towards the direction of the hotel.

"Now that she's gone, I can now torture you. What, you didn't think I would actually keep my word? People these days are so naive. Zeus, attack!" With that order, the blue monster charged towards me and body slammed me into the dirt. I managed to push back the monster and started to run away from it. I needed a place to hide, quickly. The park restroom was just up ahead; I could take shelter and hide there for maybe a few seconds to get away from all of this. I sprinted towards that direction with how fast my legs can take me. "Run all you want; your death is inevitable." I didn't care what remarks she had to say about me, I just wanted more time.

By some miracle, I made it to the restroom. I quickly shut the door behind me and locked the door. "Like that's going to do anything," I said to myself. In the end, I couldn't even fight against someone who was out for my blood and I ran away like a coward. I began to break down sitting on the floor when Dekkai spoke in my mind; _"Have you given up so soon? What about your brother that you wish to see so badly? How can you ever forgive yourself if you never apologize to him?" _

My brother, he was out there. Somewhere in this world, he was out there. I couldn't leave this world without making amends to him. Slowly, I composed myself up off the ground and stepped outside, where Ms. Kamen Rider and baby blue Zeus was waiting for me.

"Decided to meet your fate? Well, this is the end for you. But, before you have to go so violently, you should at least know the name of your killer. I am Kamen Rider Halo, the light to your future. Unfortunately, there is no light at the end of your future. Now, let's continue where we left off, shall we?" The female rider and the monster slowly start to approach me like a pack of predators surrounding a small animal. I was done running, though. This feeling in my heart was nothing compared to the fear I had just felt a moment ago.

"I'm not going to let you kill me that easily," I said as I pulled out my own driver and card. "You-you should not have those items! If you have those, that means you've already bonded with your element!" I was done being pushed around. All my life, I had been living under someone else's roof. I hated depending on others because I felt like I had to owe them for their contribution to my work. I wanted to be the torch that guides those to their own goals as well.

I looked at the belt and hesitated for just a moment. To be honest, I was debating whether or not to leave the belt and card at home. I didn't want such a grand power to be at the bottom of my bag. Now, there is no time for hesitation. I put the belt on and feel a strap wrap around my waist and connect to both sides of the belt. The belt then yells [ELEMENDRIVER] and automatically opens up the screen at the hinge, like a library depository. I insert the card and snap the screen shut, which causes the belt to yell [FIRE]. The belt also played a standby noise in the form of the heavy beating of drums. I look at Kamen Rider Halo dead in the eyes and use two fingers of my right hand to motion to her to come forward to attack me, like in the old fighting movies. I then yell at the top of my lungs, "Henshin!" and bring my right hand down to spin the gold dial. Immediately, the screen emits a ring a fire that encircles my entire waist but not touching it, the room between the two about four feet apart from all sides. Then, the fiery ring expands into a sphere that encloses my entire body. Finally, the sphere suddenly shrinks onto my skin, where it touched every part of my body. My body was glowing for a few seconds and then dimmed down, leaving me in armor that had covered me from head to toe. With the transformation done, the belt yelled [BURNING UP] and had the lights glow a bright red.

I'm not sure how I know this, but I knew what my armor looked like to the smallest detail. I had some kind of red leather under suit covering my entire body, while there were enhancements all around to make me look more muscular. The boots on my feet extended up all the way to where they were touching the bottom of my knees. I had that same hard material that covered the forearms and the back of the hands of Kamen Rider Halo on my suit as well. My chest piece was actually a mass of stationary flames instead of feathers, which also extended past my shoulders. My belt remained untouched, except for the holster on the right side of my belt that seemed to hold my cards. My helmet had the same concept as Halo's, except mine was in red and the color of the enlarged bug-like eyes were a clear ruby. Around me, all the grass had burned within a one-foot radius.

"You dare try to fight back? Fine, let's have it your way." Kamen Rider Halo said with a low growl in her voice. She motions her monstrous Zeus to attack me, and it attempts to. Before it could, I raised my arms above my head, forming an "X" to block the lightning bolt headed straight for my skull. I then throw the monster off balance and proceeded to punch it in the gut, which seemed to have work.

"_I sense a card nearby. If you can find it, you could use it to your advantage."_ I look around while the monster was still on the ground and Halo in shock at what happened. I then see it, a card that was at the foot of a bush. "Hey, uh, Dekkai? Why is there a card just lying near a bush? I thought it would be in a more… discreet location."

"_The cards appear at random, and they only appear when the user is in desperate need of an advantage. Each card can only be found one at a time, so pick your fights that favor your victory."_ Well, I guess that makes sense.

I ran over to the card, which was the six of clubs. Instead of the usual six clubs laid out evenly on the card, there was a picture of a two-sided sword with the phoenix emblem engraved onto the hilt. I look down at my belt and notice a small horizontal slot that ran across the top of the driver. Instinctively, I swipe the card into that groove and the belt exclaims [SUMMONING: WEAPON]. The sword that was on the card was then brought into the world by a pillar of fire that appeared out of nowhere and disappearing, leaving behind the sword in the dirt.

The sword itself was about the length of my arm, maybe a little longer. The two-sided sword was gleaming in the sun, and the gold color of the blade paired well with the red. The blade itself was gold in color, spanning about two-and-a-half feet long. The phoenix-club symbol was located on the hilt of the blade and at the bottom of the handle. The handle was wrapped in red leather and in the middle of the hilt was a red ruby to match the two on my helmet.

I grabbed the sword and started to advance on the monster Zeus. With a little hesitation in its eyes, it started to advance towards me as well. When it tried to pull the same trick as before, I used the handle of my sword to knock it off balance. It crumpled before me, and I swiftly beheaded it. As its head started to fall from its body, both of them started to dissipate into white flecks and float away, soon leaving behind no trace of the monster.

"Tch, think you're some kind of hotshot now that you've unlocked your power? Then I'll let you live to see how this plays out… for now," the female Kamen Rider said as she started to walk away from me. "But tell me, what will be your Kamen Rider name? Every rider has one." I didn't want to listen to her, but I think she knew that I already knew the answer anyways. "I am Kamen Rider Pyro, and I will find the cards that will unlock infinite potential." "Very well then, 'good luck' on your quest, boy." She then walked off and then disappeared from existence just like that.

I opened the screen and took out the card, and then the armor just faded into dust. I was back to my regular self, old Kagutsuchi Kaizen. I looked around, but there was no one in sight. I then remembered Ms. Ochimizu's instructions to meet her at the hotel once my fight was over, so I start heading in that direction. Just then, I heard a noise and I saw Kyoko trying to run away from me. "Kyoko, wait!" I yelled as she runs towards the hotel as well. I caught up to her and she was shaking and closing her eyes, scared of what she saw me do and what I became.

"Kyoko! Kyoko, it's okay! I'm Kaizen, right? I'm still your friend, right?" She opened her eyes slowly and started to cry, "Are you a monster? Who was that blue man? Did you kill him?" She was scared, which was natural for a seven-year-old who doesn't understand what was going on. "I'm not a monster, see? I'm the same old Kaizen that you see at the orphanage! And that blue man was a monster, and it was going to hurt a lot of people if someone didn't stop him. I didn't kill him though, I… sent it to a faraway place from here. Okay, Kyoko?" Kyoko slowly stopped crying and nodded weakly, then promptly fell into my arms falling fast asleep. I then scoop her into my arms and carry her to the hotel.

"Oh, thank goodness, I was looking for her everywhere! Thank you so much, Kaizen!" Ms. Ochimizu exclaimed when she saw me carrying Kyoko. She ushered us into the hotel room and told me to set Kyoko down onto the bed. "Come outside for a moment, Kaizen. I have to give you something." Confused, I did what I was told and followed Ms. Ochimizu out of the room.

"I noticed what that woman had in her belt, and it reminded me of an item I was given years ago." She then pulls out a card, one that had the two of hearts; its image showing a motorcycle but with a phoenix motif. "W-where did you get that?! Hey, Dekkai, I thought that I could only find these cards once a week! What? How? Why? What-," She stopped me suddenly, as she usually does and explained.

"Do you remember when we went to the old ski lodge for a trip that one year? You accidentally touched the fire in the fireplace when you dropped your favorite toy in it, and you fell unconscious. I had to find help immediately, or else you wouldn't be able to use your hand again. Suddenly, Dekkai had formed inside the fireplace and told me he couldn't have his future warrior die on him so suddenly. He somehow then reversed the effects of the burn and said I was courageous for holding on to your life. Dekkai then gave me this card, telling me to give it to you when the time was right. I knew it was time when I heard Dekkai's voice come out of your mouth."

I was stunned. I remember the skiing trip, but I don't remember getting burned at all. _"I erased your memories from that time, I could not have you knowing that you would fight for me in the future," _Dekkai said to me inside my mind. Ms. Ochimizu knew I had to fight but couldn't tell me. At first, I felt angry with her, but I knew she did it with the best of intentions; I could never be mad at her. "Thank you, Ms. Ochimizu, for this. This means a lot to me; I must pay you back somehow! I could give you the best back massage in the world! Or I could-"

"All I want you to do is inherit the orphanage for me. Keep the futures of children bright when I'm gone. That is all I ask of you, will you do it?" She looked at me with the most intense look she's given me in ages; she really wants me to do it. "Of-of course, I will. I owe it to you, Ms. Ochimizu. I promise, I won't let you down."

She then nodded in approval and said, "Thank you, Kaizen. You should go home and get some rest, you still have more cards to find, right?" She was right, I needed the rest for tomorrow. But I couldn't quit my job in the middle of the week, I would need excuse. Should I say I was going on a small vacation or should I-

"I'll tell your boss that you'll be helping me out with the orphanage from now on. You need an excuse, right?" Ms. Ochimizu was sharp, as always. I could never keep up with her.

I said my farewells to the orphans and Ms. Ochimizu and headed back to the apartment. On the way there I thought about all the events that happened today. It was so crazy that even I had a hard time believing it. "Well, I have tomorrow to look forward to, so let's make the most of it," I said before heading inside my apartment.

Ah, finally done! That was good, right, Ryujin?

**Ryujin: **Zzz…

**Kaizen: **Really? He fell asleep? So rude!

**Ryujin: **Pineapple on pizza is stupid! ...Huh? I fell asleep?

**Kaizen: **Yeah, you did. I was wondering why you were being so quiet as well.

**Ryujin: **Sorry, it's just your story is so boring. I'll spice it up next episode with my quick-paced words! You just like to take your time, don't you?

**Kaizen: **Why, you! Get back here, you've pulled your last straw!

**Ryujin: **Come back next time for my side of the story!...

**Kamen Rider Halo: **How dare he! Making me seem so weak! It's an insult to my pride! Ooh, I'll pulverize him the next time I see him!

**?: **Now, now. Calm down for just a moment. We'll get that chance soon enough.

**Kamen Rider Halo: **You're always so stoic! Can't you show a little emotion?

**?: **No, because something as trivial as that is of no concern to me. Come, let's go for now. We must think of our next move.

**Kamen Rider Halo: **Kamen Rider Pyro… he's interesting, I'll give him that.

Author's Note- Hi everyone! Since I felt bad about not posting another episode last month, I decided that this one will be a double upload! Again, please go check out Archive of Our Own's version of PvH, because that is the most accurate that I want it to be. Thank you for the continued support.  
-Chin Chin


	3. Episode 3

**Ryujin: **And we're back from that wild chase! Hello, everyone. My name is Kaiyomichi Ryujin, and I transform into Kamen Rider Hydro this episode. Now, because _someone_ didn't summarize what happened in the first two episodes, I have taken the liberty to do just that!

**Kaizen: **You really don't have to, you know. Just get to the juicy parts already!

**Ryujin: **Now, now. It's your turn to be quiet, _side character._

**Kaizen: **I actually kind of deserved that. How many times did I call you that last episode?

**Ryujin: **Two times, if I remember. Although you could have done that when I was asleep as well.

**Kaizen: **Whatever, just get on with the story. You're already wasting time.

**Ryujin: **Did you forget already? I still have to tell our audience what happened the first two episodes because you didn't.

**Kaizen: **What?! You were serious? Fine, but don't make this a reoccurring gimmick.

**Ryujin: **No promises, now, where were we?

Long ago, there were two brothers who had been separated at a very young age. One grew up to become a store worker while the other became the son of a famous politician. Each went their own separate ways, but by fate their paths will intertwine, and conflict will brew! Behold, the story of Kagutsuchi Kaizen, or Kamen Rider Pyro and Kaiyomichi Ryujin, or Kamen Rider Hydro!

**Kaizen: **That was waaaaaaaaay too over the top, even for you. Oh well, at least it was brief.

**Ryujin: **Quiet! It's my time to shine.

I woke up with the biggest headache I've ever had. I could not see for a good five minutes when I opened my eyes. After the pain subsided a little bit and I could actually see, I turned on my phone and looked at my notifications. I got a couple of texts from Rina, checking up on how I was doing after yesterday's disaster.

Yesterday? What _did_ happen yesterday? I then see on my dresser the belt and card that was given to me by Kaiyojuni and look away suddenly. All the events of yesterday start rushing back into my head and gave me another massive migraine. I sat down in a nearby chair and start to collect my thoughts. I needed the energy to stand and see, because this was the last day in America for me. After a few minutes of sitting in a chair, I grab my phone and see what Rina texted me.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I heard what happened yesterday, and I am so sorry about his behavior."

"That idiot, I can't stand him! That's it, I'm breaking up with him after this trip, no matter what it means to the family!"

"When we get home, do you want to grab lunch tomorrow? I could really use a friend to talk to, to clear my head after this is all over."

I nearly fell out of the chair I was sitting in. She's going to break up with that obnoxious idiot? It's about time! I immediately start getting dressed and putting up all my clothes in my carry-on. I open up my phone and was about to call her, but then I thought that would make me seem to eager. But I really wanted to call her to see if she was okay as well. Ugh, thinking about relationships are hard, even when you're not even in one.

I might as well go home; I was done here in America. I left the hotel and was escorted to my father's private jet, which I will be using to go back home to good old Japan. About twelve hours later, I arrived back home and into the arms of my waiting parents.

"Welcome home, Ryujin! You must be so tired after that long flight. Get some rest and we'll talk after you wake up, okay?" My mother was always so protective and concerned about me, even though I was in top shape and always healthy. "Mother, I slept on the plane. I'm fine. I can talk now! And besides, it's still early in the day here, is it not?" I then greeted my father, who was smiling at me. "Welcome home, Ryujin. If you're not tired, then could we go for a walk?"

A walk? That was strange. The last time Father and I went for a walk, I was still in grade school and needed a parent to come with me for a club meeting. But it's my father, so I couldn't say no to him. "Sure, Father. Let's go for a walk."

We headed to the park that was about twenty minutes away from the airport. We got out of the car and started walking on the path. "So, Father, is there a reason that we went to the park to walk? Do you need me to do something? I'll do it for you, just give me the word." We continued walking for a little while longer after I asked him those questions. The silence was getting to the point where it was unbearably awkward when Father said, "I just wanted to walk with my son, can that be the reason we came here?"

Something was definitely up. Father never did anything that didn't have a specific purpose. "Father, is that really the reason? What's on your mind?" He sighed and then looked at me. "Ryujin, I'm thinking of retiring from the political world. Lately, there hasn't been any fulfillment from being a politician. Which is why I wanted to ask you: would you take my place when I retire?"

Retirement?! This was the first time I've heard him ever say that word! I was so flustered and confused that I was at a loss for words, which was not something that happened to me often. Unfortunately, a certain being spoke for me to respond to my father:

"_Dear Father, of course I would accept your place when you humbly retire from your seat of office. You deserve your awaited retirement, after all that you have done for this… country." _

I quickly turned away from Father and thought fiercely, "What are you doing, Kaiyojuni?! Didn't you say you weren't going to summon me unless I asked for it?" _"You were at a loss for words, were you not? I decided in those mere seconds that I would answer for you to… avoid long pauses in conversations that you humans have. Also, I was curious of how much the world has changed when I went to sleep in the ocean so long ago." _I turned to Father after that, who had a calm but puzzled expression on his face. I quickly explained, "Wow! Guess I really did need sleep! I don't know why I said something like that, not like I would not take your seat! In fact, I would be very honored if I did inherit your position! Father, I am so…"

I was cut off by a chorus of screams coming from the east of me. I turned to see what was causing all the commotion. The figure that was causing those screams almost made me scream myself. I didn't know how to describe him except with one word: Death. There were shadows coming out of the figure, spilling out onto the ground that it stood. The figure itself seemed…_ hollow_ for some reason, like it didn't have in it at all. Although it was mostly black, there were some gold accents and a tattered cape that adorned the figure. The figure held a wicked looking claw in their left hand; the claw had the most menacing feel around it more than any other object I've ever seen. The helmet is what really got my attention. It's bug-like eyes were the color of obsidian, and it looked as if it was made of that material as well. There were three gold lines running vertically across the eyes to form a visor. On each side of the figure's head were three lines on both sides running vertically down the side of the helmet. Overall, this thing was very bad news.

"Father, you need to get out of here right this instant! I don't want you to get hurt!" Father looked at me in shock, "What about you? Are you really going to fight this monster?"

Am I? I looked at it and my knees turned to jelly, although somehow, I was still standing. But if I didn't do it, then who was? This person was clearly bad news. And besides, I don't think anyone else could fight this thing unless they had the equipment I had. "I'm going to stop it, to prevent it from hurting anyone, especially you, Father." Father nodded at me with a stern look, "Then good luck, my son. Come back to me when you're finished, alright?" With that said, he then escaped with the rest of the crowd.

Now, it was just me and the black figure. Before I could say anything, I was cut off by the figure. "Now that everyone has evacuated, we can finally talk in solitude. My name, or rather, my Rider title is Kamen Rider Nero. Normally, I would have collected those screams for my own benefit, but I wanted to talk with you, the water rider." The voice that spoke was masculine and pleasant, as if it was a casual conversation with a friend, but never mind that. How does he know my identity already? _"Careful, Ryujin. He harbors the element of darkness inside of him, Ghadra. Although, I don't see Lucia anywhere, the element of light. Ghadra probably sensed that you were in the area because of me."_ "So, this Ghadra is like you, I presume?" I thought in my mind. _"Yes, Ghadra is one of the two beings I fought so long ago to obtain its power. Now you must fight him and his host to obtain that power that I was so close to getting myself." _Great, now I have to fight a Kamen Rider that wants to kill me the first day I get back from Japan.

"Hi, uh, Mr. Nero. Listen, I don't want any trouble with you so could you please go away? I don't know how to use my powers yet and I would like this to be a fair fight if we are going to fight." I really hoped that worked, because I am beyond scared. "I'm surprised you're even able to talk, considering you're affected by my majestic presence. I see you don't have your rider power yet, so this will be a lot easier for me and you. You see, I need to kill you in order for you to never get your hands on the power that I wield. No hard feelings, but I'm sorry." He then spins the silver dial on his driver, which I now notice has a black light and a card with a picture of the mythical beast Cerberus, with the word "JOKER" written in the top left hand and the bottom right hand corners.

When he spins the dial, the shadows that were gathering around him suddenly shifted part of itself to the right of him. From those shadows rose a figure that shared the theme of death with Kamen Rider Nero. It's skin was the color of obsidian and had a matching toga to go with it. On the figure's head was an old Greek helmet that gave off a similar energy to Kamen Rider Nero's own crown. "Great," I thought. "Now I have two enemies to worry about."

"You may have heard of my friend here. His name is Hades, and he will kill you for me. I don't want to get blood on my suit, after all!" I stumble back in shock. "How are you able to just summon a _god_? Is this the unparalleled power that you have?!" _"Remember when I said that I am all of the major water deities that you humans have worshipped over the course of history? One of the powers that you will gain is the power to summon my past selves to fight for you. Unfortunately, it seems as if Ghadra already has that power to do that."_ I needed to run for the time being and think of a way to get out of this mess. I didn't spend much time at my school's karate club, so my fighting knowledge was limited. I ran to the nearest source of cover, which was a line of trash bins about thirty yards away from where I was standing.

**Kaizen: **What is it with you and all these clubs? And why are they all so specific?

**Ryujin: **I don't know. They were all available at my school, so I just did them all to try them out. You'll be seeing a lot of times where I use my knowledge from my clubs for my endeavors.

**Kaizen: **Weird, but I'll roll with it.

**Ryujin: **Unfortunately, I started to panic when I reached the trash bins. I could feel Hades's footsteps coming closer and closer, and me being closer and closer to death. "I'm really going to die here, aren't I? I never even gotten a chance to say goodbye to Father! I'll never get the chance to meet with Rina tomorrow!"

"_Remember why you are fighting in the first place. What is your reason for gaining this power?"_

Rina. I really did love her. If I wasn't going to meet her tomorrow to help her, then I might as well throw our relationship out the window. I needed to show her that I can be her man. And in order to do that, I needed to be alive. I needed to crash through her expectations of me and just be there for her. It wasn't just her expectation, either. My parents needed me to take their place in the world. I'll crash through their expectations as well!

**Kaizen: **Aw… Ryujin's in love! That's so cute! Should I hire a band just to announce your love for her to the world?

**Ryujin: **Even though I made fun of you, doesn't mean you have to…

**Kaizen: **Actually, yes, it does. This is revenge for those last few episodes of torment from you.

**Ryujin: **That's fair, I guess…

**Kaizen: **You guess?! Why, you…

**Ryujin: **Anyways…

"I've found my resolve," I told Kamen Rider Nero. "I'm not going down without a fight" I pull out the driver and card I had been storing in my bag and face the black rider. "Ah, so you had those with you the whole time. If I had known, I would have given you a couple of seconds to transform, or struggle to. I am a merciful person, after all." I was starting to really despise this person. His taunts were so irritating and made me want to throw all my anger into punches towards him. "We'll see who's begging for mercy after this." I put on the belt, which I feel wrap around my waist automatically when I place the driver over my lower abdomen area. When the belt finished wrapping around me, it yells the word [ELEMENDRIVER] and the screen in front automatically opens. I insert the card into the screen and close it shut, causing it to yell [WATER] and play a standby of a piano tune. I raise my left arm above my head and then suddenly bring it back down to in front of me, so it's extended out. I then yell, "Henshin!" and then spin the gold dial on the right side of my driver, from where I am.

A ring of water suddenly ejected from the screen and then surrounded me, leaving about four feet of space from all sides. The ring then expanded and closed around me until there was a sphere of water surrounding me. The sphere stayed there for a few seconds and then quickly shrunk to contact every part of my body. The water left me glowing with a blue light for a few more seconds, and then faded to reveal a Kamen Rider suit. The belt then yelled [CRASHING DOWN] and the lights that were off before were now glowing a bright blue. The ground around me was soaked with water, about the area of a beach umbrella's canopy.

The armor left on me looked amazing from my perspective. It was a blue under suit with blue and gold armor covering my shins, forearms, and the backs of my hands. My chest armor resembled waves from an angry sea. And my helmet was the coolest part of all, having deep sapphire eyes and three gold line running horizontally across those eyes and three gold bars running vertically on each side of my helmet. I looked like a blue, more heroic version of the villain in front of me. Although, I'm not sure how I knew what my armor looked like.

"Well, look at that! You can transform now! Which means you can die fighting." I faced the black Kamen Rider and stood my ground. "I'm not running anymore. And I'm sure as hell that I'm not dying here, either! I am Kamen Rider Hydro!" I then charged at the proclaimed Hades and approached him to throw the first punch.

When my fist made contact, it knocked the god of the underworld back about five feet. I then used what I did learn at my karate club and applied it to Hades. I first kicked the back of his knee so he would fall down, and then I pinned him down, got on top of him, and started punching his torso and face. Hades started to get back up, and unfortunately, he pushed me off in the process. I hopped back and saw that Hades didn't have much strength left in him, so I decided to spin the silver dial on the left, hoping that it would let me do a special attack like Kamen Rider Nero.

Immediately, water surrounded me below my waist and started to push me up towards the sky. I put my body into a flying kick position and heard the driver go [DROWNING END!]. I was then propelled at high speeds towards the god and somehow went _through_ his body and landed behind him. Hades then went down, but he didn't hit the ground below him. Instead, he dissipated into shadows before his face hit the dirt beneath him.

I then turned to Kamen Rider Nero and said, "Now that he's out of the way, it's just us two left." I charged at him but then Kaiyojuni spoke in my mind, _"Do not attempt to go after him yet! You need your full strength if you must go up against one of the Jokers! Please, back down for now and retreat back to your family."_ What? But the person whose power I was to obtain was right in front of me! Suddenly, Nero's eyes somehow turned even more dark. "You have already foiled my plans, which has put me in a_ very_ bad mood. I suggest you listen to your patron and scram, before you make me kill you in the worst way possible." "How did you know what I was thinking? Wait a minute, what's going on?" I felt all the life in the park slowly being sapped by him, including my own. Nero himself was gaining all the shadows in that area and quickly becoming more and more monstrous. I hastily made a retreat out of the park and ran to an alleyway where I quickly untransformed.

I looked at the driver I was holding and started shivering. This is what I have to go through for now on? Fighting and having close brushes with death was not on my bucket list. I then saw a trash can in the alleyway I was standing in and started to walk towards it.

"_Wait. Before you do that, think about this. If you don't do this, the world will be thrown into chaos. The elements will target me because I don't have a host, and then all the water on this planet will no longer provide life to any of the organisms. I am the one being that is making sure that the water is plentiful and beneficial to life. If I am gone, no one will be able to do that."_

You've got to be kidding me. Not only am I fighting to obtain the love of my life, but I'm also fighting to secure the balance of the world?! _"I am sorry for not telling you sooner, it's just that I did not want you to fight knowing that you have this heavy burden to carry."_

"Then why me?! Why was I chosen for this? If I had known this, I would have never accepted your offer! Choose someone else!"

"_I chose you because you had the heart of someone who does good even in the face of death. Your heart is pure, and I can only choose someone with a pure heart to aid me. Otherwise, a person with an impure heart would only fight for their own benefit, not for the benefit of others as well." _"But wasn't I fighting for my own benefit in the first place?" _"No, you were not. You are fighting to gain the trust and compassion of someone you truly care about. It may fill your desires, but overall, you want to make sure that that person doesn't suffer, is that right?" _

I… hadn't thought about that. I realize now that Kaiyojuni was right. I didn't just want for Rina to love me back, I wanted to make sure she never got into a relationship as bad as her last one ever again. I guess I wasn't fighting for me after all. I was fighting for Rina as well. Oh yeah, and the rest of the world as well.

"Fine, I'll keep the driver for now. You've convinced me not to throw it away. But just know I will not hesitate to throw it away if it hurts innocent people or people that are close to me." I then started to walk towards the nearest bench and called my personal driver to pick me up.

When I got home, I went to go see Father to explain what happened. If anyone deserved to know, it was him. "Father, let me explain exactly what you saw. That man was…"

"I know what is happening, Ryujin. You have to fight now, don't you? Kaiyojuni explained everything to me."

What? How does Father know about Kaiyojuni? As far as I'm concerned, the closest contact Father has ever had with my water being was looking at pictures of Poseidon. "Let me explain," Father said. "The day that Kaiyojuni saved you from the yacht, it came to me while I was reading in my study. It told me that you had been chosen to fight for the fate of the world, and I was filled with dread. You see, this was not the first time Kaiyojuni had come to me."

"Back when you were in the swimming club at your school, you were at a swim meet and I was there to support you. Halfway throughout your race, you got a cramp in your leg and sunk to the bottom. Of course, there were lifeguards there, but I jumped in before any of them could and got you out of the water. I performed CPR on you, and you started coughing up water, which means you were safe. Then a voice spoke in my mind;_ You have done well to save your son. I know for a fact that your son will do great things in the future, but he needs to have some support in order to do those things. I have given you a tool to aid your son in the future. You will know when to give it to him._ I checked in my pocket to see what was given to me, and there was a card, one that resembled the two of hearts. I guess now is that time."

He gave me the card, which was indeed the two of hearts. Instead of the usual pattern of a playing card, this card had a picture of a motorcycle with a dragon motif and a huge heart on the side of the body. "Thank you, Father. I'll make you proud and fight for what's right." "You can stay here on your quest for the cards. I'll support you on your journey, alright? Now head up to your room and sleep, you must be tired after all that."

Father was right, I was mentally and physically exhausted. So, I went up to my room and wondered what was going to happen from now on. Oh right! The meetup with Rina was tomorrow as well, I should get some rest for that.

**Kaizen: **Looks like I'm still awake after all that, guess your story wasn't as boring as I thought it would be.

**Ryujin: **Ha! Looks like I am the better storyteller after all! I knew I would bring action to our audience with great descriptions.

**Kaizen: **Still having girl problems? Poor Ryujin's in love!

**Ryujin: **Now it's my turn to chase after you. Start running, Kaizen!

**Kaizen: **Come back next episode to see how we face the aftermath of finding our cards!

**Kamen Rider Nero: **That day, I was so angry. Absolutely no one should be able to foil my plans like that. I will have my revenge against Kamen Rider Hydro.

**Kamen Rider Halo: **Calm yourself, you'll have your revenge in due time. For now, we need to discuss how to destroy their hopes even further, so they'll never have the drive to claim our power.

**Kamen Rider Nero: **Agreed, although I would have liked to kill him that day...


	4. Episode 4

**Kaizen: **Okay, okay! Time out for a second! Since both of us don't like each other when we share our stories separately, how about we do our episodes like we did episodes 1 and 2?

**Ryujin: **For once, you don't have a bad idea, Kaizen. Otherwise, I'd fall asleep again from your _boring_ storytelling. Although, it would be better if we had more people with us to fill up the pages a bit more. It's kind of lonely here, just the two of us.

**Kaizen: **Whatever happened to the other two riders? Shouldn't they be back by now? How about we find them after this?

Again, not a bad idea. It would be good for us to take a break from this storytelling and go for a search. Speaking of the story, I'll start off this time.

**Kaizen: **Alright, go on ahead.

**Ryujin: **I wake up and sit up in my bed. Yesterday… was something I wished never happened. The feeling of death getting right up in my face and threatening me with the worst ways to die was scarring. I still didn't want to be a Kamen Rider. Not to mention, there's also the fact that I had to keep the balance of the water for the entire planet as well. All of this responsibility and anxiety was really getting to me. "I need to clear my head from all of this," I told myself. I then decided to go for a morning jog.

**Kaizen: **I wake up and sit up in my bed. Well, it's not going to be my bed in a little bit, because I'm moving out to go live in the orphanage. Yesterday… was a rush. That feeling of beating that monster with a _sword_ was amazing. I suddenly feel excited on what other trials and adventures await me. To be honest, I was skeptical of the whole idea of becoming a Kamen Rider. Now, the thought of it was starting to grow on me. "I need to let out all of this excess energy," I told myself, so I decided to go for a morning walk.

**Ryujin: **Why was this happening to me? No one should suffer from my fate. Then again, I was told by Kaiyojuni that there were five other Kamen Riders that shared my fate. I wonder what their thought process was when they found out that they were going to fight Kamen Riders. Did they cry? Laugh? Or were they just in shock, like I was? I can't think straight from all of this, so I decided to take a break on a bench from my morning jog. I looked at my phone for some notifications, but there were none. "Great, nothing to distract me when I actually need it," I told myself. Suddenly, I saw a man walking on the other side of the road, smiling like he didn't have a care in the world. Occasionally, that man did a little skip in his walk. "I wish I was as carefree as you were, my happy friend." I walked away to head back for a shower before my meet up with Rina.

**Kaizen: **I wondered how much time it would take for me to get all my cards during my walk. Dekkai said that a card would only show itself when I was in a desperate need of an advantage. The cards would also only show themselves at times of absolute necessity, so I couldn't just search for them within a couple of days. "So, I really have to fight to obtain my cards? No matter, I'll do whatever it takes to get Ryujin back. I have the power to do that now." I looked up at the sky and breathed easily for the first time in fifteen years. I can get him back and make up for all that lost time, I just have to obtain the power. I then notice a man sulkily walking away in the opposite direction of me on the other side of the street. "Poor dude, hope he feels better," I tell myself. I then walked back towards the orphanage, even doing a little skip on my walk back.

**Ryujin: **"Hey! How are you doing?", I ask Rina as I approach her as I walk up to our table. She replies, "I'm doing fine. It's still kind of weird not being with that jerk anymore. But anyways, I'm glad you're here! Have a seat." I take a seat across from her and I order my usual, a parfait with some vanilla pudding on the side. "You always get the same thing! Try something else for a change," Rina exclaims. "But I don't like anything else here, can't you just let me order in peace?" She laughs at me, "I can never change your mind, can I? You were always like this ever since high school." High school, huh? I remember meeting her back then, back in the debate club.

It was the second week of my second year of high school. We had signed up for the clubs we had wanted to do the week before and today was the first day we were supposed to go to our respective clubs. I, of course, did multiple, so I had somewhat struggled fitting seven clubs into a school week. My first club of the day was the debate club, so I headed there. Once I arrived, the club was already heated in a topic, but I couldn't remember the topic. What I did remember was seeing Rina for the first time. Even back then she was still beautiful: hair not too long but not too short, a perfect smile, and a pair of glasses to make her seem timid, yet extremely smart.

While the room was in chaos, she looked at who came through the door and walked up to me. "You must be new here if you have a look like that. Welcome to the debate club, you might want to sit down in a little bit." That was my first interaction with her. Ever since then, I have never missed a meeting of the debate club. I also tried to find every single opportunity to talk to her at lunch and any other places that weren't weird for us to cross paths. After graduation, we still kept in touch, even though we both went our separate paths. When I found out her father was also a politician, I was ecstatic. "Maybe I can see her again," I thought to myself. And I did and have been meeting with her for about 2 years now.

"Yeah, high school feels like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? Although it's only been a few years since we first met," I told her as I was eating my parfait. I then noticed that she didn't get anything. "You're not hungry? I don't want to be the only one eating," I said in a joking manner. Her expression then darkened, and she said, "I'm not hungry at the moment. But there is a reason that I called you here today."

**Kaizen: **I got back to the orphanage and was greeted by Kyoko. "Hi, Kaizen! Did you get me anything?" I laughed at the question and patted her head. "No, Kyoko. I just went out for a walk. I didn't have time to go to the store. Next time, I'll make sure to get you something, okay?" She smiled at my suggestion and said, "Yay! I'll be waiting!" And with that, she ran up to her room to play. I then went into the kitchen and see Ms. Ochimizu making lunch for the children. "Need any help?" I ask her. "No, no. I'm fine for right now. Actually, why won't you take a seat, Kaizen?" I look at her in confusion, but eventually did what she asked. "So," she said when we were seated, "how are you going to find all the cards? Are you going to just scour the streets until you find all of them?" Now that she mentioned it, how was I going to find those cards? I haven't really given it much thought, have I? All I was concerned about was getting Ryujin back.

"To be honest, I haven't given it much thought until you mentioned that to me. Dekkai did tell me that a card would only show itself to me when I was in desperate need of an advantage. It also told me that I could only collect cards in times of drastic need." The more I thought about it, the more I started panicking. Was I supposed to lose a bunch of times before a card would come to me? Was I supposed to let the other Kamen Riders win? Was I-

"You're panicking again, calm down," Ms. Ochimizu told me. Somehow, she always knows what emotion I'm feeling at anytime. "Take your time with this, you are supposed to fight others with your powers, correct? You'll get to them when you have to. But for now, just take it easy and rest up."

She's right, of course. Yesterday may have been a cool experience, but it also took a lot out of me. Apparently, swinging a sword a whole lot really take a toll on your energy. Maybe I should go take a nap before heading out…

**Ryujin: **"I really didn't like my last boyfriend. I can't even stand to say his name right now. And I'm pretty sure that you don't like him either." Rina looked at me with her unwavering stare. Now I know that this look brings either one of two things: she either has a confession to make or she has news that will affect me or her. "Yeah… he did kind of knock me out on a yacht and left me for dead in the water." She then sighs and proceeds, "I never liked that jerk when I got with him. As you know, the only reason I got with him was to please my father for his relationship with my ex's parents. But I'm done being controlled. I want to date who I want, do what I want, be who I want. And right now, I do have a person in mind that I do want to date…"

Oh God… this can't be happening, right? A wave of emotions just came crashing down upon me. Is she going to confess? This can't be real, it's too good to be true, it's…

"So, I met this guy on a dating app, and he seems to be just my type. I was wondering if you could give me some feedback if I should go for him or not."

All those emotions that I've been feeling before have now been replaced by dread and misery. I think my face showed them for a split second, but I quickly replaced the look with an expression of curiosity. "Oh? Let me see who this person is." The name says Kagutsuchi Kaizen and his age was 22 years old. He had short hair, but long enough that it reached the base of his neck. He had some stubble from when the picture was taken as well. Overall, I could see why Rina would want to choose this guy.

"Yeah, he looks pretty good to me. Have you been talking with him, or did you need someone's input before you started talking?" Rina replied, "The latter, I'm still pretty new to all of this, so I want to be as prepared as I can be." Even with dating, she's still one of the most analytical people I've ever met. But Kagutsuchi Kaizen… why did that name sound so familiar?

**Kaizen: **Wait, the woman that matched with me that day was Rina? I never even noticed that until you brought it up.

**Ryujin: **You WHAT?! I spent a good portion of my teenage and young adult life trying to get with her and you don't even remember her face?!

**Kaizen: **Sorry, geez. I just don't remember because I wasn't all that interested in a relationship. Uh, you're foaming at the mouth there, Ryujin.

**Ryujin: **You better continue from your perspective before I lose it.

**Kaizen: **R-right. I'll just g-go do that, then.

I wake from my nap and check my phone. "NEW MATCH!", it says. "Really?" I gave up on finding a relationship like a month ago. "Well, it's worth checking out who it is." The woman's name was Arisato Rina and her profile said she was 20 years old. She was pretty, but I couldn't focus on a relationship at the moment. I still needed to find my brother.

"I can't just leave her like that, though," I tell myself. "Hi, sorry. I currently am not looking for a relationship at the moment. I just forgot to delete my account, so I'm sorry for putting you through this. Good luck finding someone else, though!"

That should do it, right? I just didn't want to hurt her feelings too much. But back to the matter at hand; it was time to get up and find some cards. I quickly got dressed and headed out to the streets to see if I could find any enemies.

After ten minutes of searching, I couldn't find anyone to fight.

Sitting on a bench, I thought about where I could find Kamen Riders to fight so I can obtain cards. This was a lot harder than I had wanted it to be. "Where can I find some fights so I could get my cards?", I asked myself. Suddenly, armed men with guns and bulletproof vests were sprinting toward my direction. Each of them had a helmet that had a dark visor so I couldn't see their faces and one of them had gold outlines on his uniform. Before I knew it, they had surrounded me on all sides and put their guns up at me. The man that was outlined in gold yelled to me, "Freeze! You are to come with us so we may evaluate you! If you cooperate, you will not be harmed! This is for the benefit of the country!" What is happening right now? What did I ever do to these guys? "Look, I don't know what's happening here, but I'm not going anywhere until I get more info on what you all are doing."

**Ryujin: **After about a half an hour of talking later, Rina and I went our separate ways. On the way home, I was feeling kind of pissed that she found someone else in such little time after her break up with her ex. "Oh, well. Guess it can't be helped," I said to myself. A little further down the sidewalk I was walking on, I saw something that caught my eye. There was a little boy who was being bullied by three bigger boys. The one who was being bullied was shoved around and called derogatory names. Without thinking, I yelled, "What do you think you all are doing to him?" The three bullies look up at me and sneer. "Move along, old man. You don't want to end up like this loser, do ya?" The leader of the group, or who I assumed to be the leader, had an evil look in his eyes. "I'm not going to ask again. Leave him alone or I will take action," I told the trio. "Let's get him, boys!" The three bullies rush towards me with their fists ready.

Luckily, I had also taken a self-defense club so I could take someone down without hurting them. Within a few minutes, all three boys were on the ground squirming with there jacket sleeves holding their arms and their backpacks holding down their legs. I then undid my work for each boy individually, making sure each boy was out of sight until I let the next one go.

"Are you alright?" The boy who was bullied looked at me as if he saw a superhero. "That was awesome, mister! How did you learn to do that? Are you a superhero? You have to come home with me so I can tell my parents about this! You're so-" I stop the boy mid-sentence and pat him on the shoulder. 'Slow down there, kid! You're lucky I was here to protect you today, but you need to learn how to defend yourself too. I suggest going to a dojo and learn how to protect yourself there, okay? And I'm no superhero, I'm just someone who believes in doing the right thing." The little boy looks up to me in awe and then nods his head up vigorously. He then runs off in the opposite direction until he's out of my sight.

When I got home, my mother greeted me at the door. "How was your meetup with Rina? Did you two have fun?" I look at her and give her a reassuring look, "Everything was great, Mother. It was just the usual meetup, though. If you need me, I'll be up in my room doing paperwork for Father." With that being said, I headed straight for my room and closed the door behind me.

**Kaizen: **"Alright, who wants a piece?" I had already transformed into my Kamen Rider form when they had grabbed my arms and tried to drag me to their van that was parked near me. "Bring him back to headquarters at all costs! Neutralize him if you must!" The leader of the squadron ordered his men like I was a wanted fugitive. "For the last time, I'm not going anywhere unless I get some answers!" I summon my sword with the 6 of clubs and proceed to knock out all the soldiers. I wasn't going to kill anyone; I was just going to make them unconscious. Everything was going smoothly until the leader of the squadron stuck a needle in the back of my leg. "What the- what did you do?" The squadron leader looked up at me, but I only saw my reflection in his helmet. "Don't worry, this isn't a drug. Rather, I just extracted something out of you." He then showed me the syringe that he stabbed me with, which was filled with red liquid. It wasn't blood, however; it seemed to be more luminescent and vibrant in color.

"Men, retreat! We'll get the Kamen Rider next time," the squadron leader said to his men. Within 15 seconds all of them had retreated to the van and the van drove off with them inside. "What the hell? What did they want with me?" I sheathed my sword and quickly untransformed to hide my belt from any suspecting eyes. "And more importantly," I ask myself, "How did they know my identity?" I pondered this question on the way back to the orphanage.

**Ryujin: **A week had passed after my lunch date with Rina. I was walking down the same path as last time when I noticed that little boy again. He was surrounded by the bullies again, only this time he had a look of determination on his face. "Give us what we want, twerp!" The lead bully pushed the little boy, but he didn't fall to the ground. Instead, he stood his ground and got himself into a fighting stance. "Back off now, or else I'll have to fight you!" The three bullies looked at each other and laughed, "You've really done it now, twerp!", the lead bully said at the boy. The bully then threw a right hook at the little boy's face, but the boy ducked under it and performed an uppercut on the lead bully. The bully fell to the ground and was crying behind his arm, "You're a jerk! You're going to pay for that!" He then ran away screaming and crying, and the two other bullies looked at the little boy in shock, and then ran away as well. The little boy looked at his hands and smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen on a child. The boy then ran on to what I presumed was his home.

"Well, I guess you don't have to have a super suit to be a hero," I thought to myself. "So, do I really need this belt?" I still didn't want to be a Kamen Rider at all, but according to Kaiyojuni, I had to in order to keep balance to the world. "But I really don't want this much responsibility, so can I just throw the belt away?" I pondered this question on the way back to my house.

**Ryujin: **Well, looks like we've said a lot this day. Now let's take a few hours off!

**Kaizen: **Agreed, I just want to relax from typing all of this out. Why are we doing this again, might I ask?

**Ryujin: **So, we can have some form of documentation of what happened to us. Now come on, those riders aren't going to find themselves. Until next time, everyone!

**Kamen Rider Nero: **Hmmm, seems they've left their equipment here.

**Kamen Rider Halo: **Are you thinking of what I'm thinking?

**Kamen Rider Nero: **Speak of our own origin story of how we became riders? Sure, I don't see why not. And who knows? It could be fun, speaking of what led up to this moment.

**Kamen Rider Halo: **Although, to keep our identities secret from each other, I suggest that we speak one at a time. I don't want to know who you were in your past.

**Kamen Rider Nero: **Agreed, I don't want you to know who I was either, or who you are, for that matter.


	5. Episode 5

**Kamen Rider Halo: **My name is Asahina Mitsuko, and this is how things turned out for the worse for me.

Growing up, I lived in a pristine environment and had every privilege a girl had while growing up. Both of my parents were highly praised movie actors, so I did not get to see them very much. Without them around, I was free in my own house to do whatever I wanted, or so I thought. It was very lonely at my house; I had everything I wanted but I wasn't satisfied with anything I had. For most of my life I felt… empty.

Because I had nothing going on in life, I decided to go to my closest university. I had excellent grades because it was the only thing I had to do in my house, so I got in it pretty easily. I wanted to make new friends at the university as well, because most of my classmates avoided me because of my parents' status. So, I hid my last name from my peers and went to go socialize with my new classmates. Turns out that I was a novice when it came to making friends, because I had no social skills whatsoever. Pretty soon, my excitement for making new friends started to wear out. Before I knew it, I was back to my lifestyle of being a shut-in.

One day as I was heading to class, a rude male student decided that I would be his next target for his cheesy and boring pickup lines. I tried walking away as fast as I could, but he wouldn't stop pestering me and even tried to grab me. I ran away, but he was in hot pursuit. Suddenly, another man intervened in my assailant's path and shoved him over.

"Mind your own damn business if you know what's good for ya!" My assailant got back up from being knocked down by the stranger. "You know, I could say the same to you. Why are you bothering someone who wants no part in your shenanigans?" "Why, you…" With that being said, my assailant tried to tackle the stranger, but with a few swift and quick moves, the stranger pinned my assailant to the ground. "Now, get out of here, before I have to pin you again." My assailant scrambled away, cursing under his breath.

I turned to my hero after my attacker fled from the scene. He looked to be around my age, but that where our similarities end. He had a strong build and had a handsome face. High cheekbones, and a strong jaw with a little bit of stubble covered his chin. He stood with an air of authority to him, but his outfit defined him as a mere college student. And although his attitude seemed cocky and stoic, I could sense kindness but darkness in his expression.

"Are you alright, miss? He didn't do anything bad to you, did he?" The man looked at me with a concerned expression. He really likes showing his emotions through his face. "I am fine, thank you. What is your name, so I may properly thank you for your act of bravery?" The man then looked at me with a humorous expression. "What are you, a princess? I didn't save you from that dude because I wanted something from you. There are still people in the world that do good deeds because it's the right thing to do. What a sad world we live in if someone as pretty as yourself is offering payment right off the bat."

I was taken aback from his words. I didn't mean to sound like I was throwing money away for such a nice gesture. But when he put it like that, I couldn't see the words that I said to him seen any other way. "I-I'm sorry for putting it that way. Please excuse me." I felt my cheeks blushing from furious embarrassment and started walking swiftly away. However, the man that saved me intercepted me before I could go anywhere. "Hey, there's no need to be embarrassed! I've seen you around campus, and it looks like you just don't know what to say. How about this? Later today, I'll take you out on a lunch date. I'll teach you how to be as sociable as I am, and I'm pretty popular with everyone here. Deal?"

I was stunned. I was never approached like this to go anywhere with anyone. In fact, I was never invited to anywhere by anyone in the first place. The status of my parents prevented me from having any actual friends back in grade school. And now, I was being asked out on a date by a man whom I didn't know the name of! "Alright, fine. What's your name again? I never got to hear it." The man smiled at me and told me this, "Yamiyo Gengetsu, at your service."

After my classes, I called him to see where he was going to take me. "Don't worry, it'll be a fun surprise," he told me before abruptly hanging up. "Here's hoping that I won't get drugged in some dark alleyway." I quickly went back to my dorm and got dressed for the date. I was wearing a long yellow summer dress with matching flats. I also put my long black hair into a complex braid. When I walked outside of my dorm building, I was surprised to see him already standing there. I guess his "spying" led him to find out where I rest for the night. "You're really creepy, you know that?" "It may seem like it, but I would call it 'unwanted supervision'. Uh, you know what, scratch that. Let's just go." Yamiyo quickly turned away from me and hurriedly walked in the direction of the university café. I would have thought that he would have taken me somewhere more… distinguished. Then I remember that not everyone is as lucky to be born into wealth as I was. I ran after him to catch up and then headed to the café.

"You're probably wondering, 'Why is he taking me to a place like this? I deserve much more than this,' or 'I don't know what to order here! I've only been to 5-star restaurants!'" I got angry at his assumptions. "If you're going to assume things about me, I might as well just leave you here and go back to my dorm. I'm finding these things to be very hurtful." I started heading back, waiting for a response. It came. "I'm sorry for assuming things about you, Asahina. I know I'm not the best person in the world when it comes to social interactions. For some reason, I just had to talk to you. I know it sounds weird, but don't you feel it too?" The moment he said that, I realize that it's the same for me too. Ever since I encountered him when he saved me from my assailant, I felt a strange connection to him. Like I was supposed to meet him in my life, and that goal has been completed. I just don't know what to do now that goal is fulfilled.

"Yeah, I feel it too," I say timidly. "But now that I've met you, what now? Why does it feel like I had to meet you? What happens next?" I waited eagerly for his answer, but what he told me was not what I was expecting. "I don't know what will happen next, but what I do know is that I like you already."

I felt my cheeks instantly blushing and turned the opposite way, so I didn't have to look at him. I may not be an expert in love, but I'm pretty sure that you just don't go saying that to people that you just met on the first day! "W-what are you talking about? We've just met and now you're telling me this?" I looked at him in exasperation, but his face was on the verge of crying and laughing. "Y-you think… that I s-said that I l-love you?" With that last word, he fell to the ground laughing. "I-I ONLY MEANT LIKE A-AS I HAD A-AN INTEREST IN YOU! HAHAHAHAHA!" It took Yamiyo at least 3 minutes to recover from the ground. During those 3 minutes I ran back to my dorm and slammed the door shut. That's when I sat on the ground and cried.

A few days passed since the run-in with Yamiyo. During those few days I've cried at least 20 times. I can still feel the embarrassment and anger from that incident. I never wanted to see him again, so I became more of a shut-in. I only went out for my classes and for groceries. I avoided talking to people at all costs. I just didn't want to see him again after how he insulted my ignorance with his inappropriate reactions.

Around a week later, I heard a knock on my door. I wasn't expecting anyone, but I had a sinking suspicion on who might be outside my door. Sure enough, when I looked through the peeping hole on my door, there stood a hesitant Yamiyo. His expression today was one that looked apologetic, scared, downcast. On instinct, I opened the door, although I wished I hadn't.

"What do you want? Are you here to humiliate me again? Or are you here because you get a high off of making people feel bad?" I know what I said was hurtful and mean, but I didn't care at the moment. "I just wanted to say that truly sorry. The truth is, I'm not good with people either. Sure, I have friends, but I'm the funny one. The one who makes fun of the group and humiliates them for laughs. The one who jokes around in the most inappropriate of times and relieves the group of any stress. I'm the funny one because I'm scared to show who I really am inside. How much sorrow and hardship I've had to endure when I was little and how little compassion I was shown. I know this shouldn't be an excuse for my actions, and I'm not expecting you to forgive me either. I just wanted to let you know why I acted like that. I'll be on my way."

He started to walk out the door and almost got away. But my stupid self wanted to know more about him. About his stupid self. I wanted to comfort him from all of that emotion that Yamiyo has been building up inside of him. No one should face those hardships alone and yet he's been holding it for who knows how long.

"Wait." Yamiyo turned around and looked at me. His expression was now one of hope and expectancy. "Maybe we can still work things out. Hi, my name is Asahina Mitsuko. Nice to meet you."

I would never see someone smile that large ever again.

I met with Yamiyo every weekend after that, either going to the university cafe or going off campus to eat or just to have fun. He helped me break out of my social cocoon, and soon enough I started making more friends at the university. But I always made time for him. He told me his secrets and I told him mine. We did barely legal things at night, and we studied in the library the next day. I knew it was inevitable, but I fell for him every day that I saw him; more and more until my heart fluttered at the thought of him.

"Hey, Asahina?" I looked at Yamiyo while hanging out in his dorm room one day. I was allowed in there as long as the sun was out, and it was early afternoon. "What's up? Are we going to go somewhere?" "Do you want to be… official? Like boyfriend and girlfriend official?" "Hmm, let me think about it." I got off of the couch that I was laying and circled the armchair that Yamiyo was sitting in. Suddenly, I hugged him from behind and whispered, "Of course I do."

I lied about earlier. Somehow Yamiyo smiled a bigger smile from when I gave him a second chance. But this time, his smile made me smile just as wide.

A few months passed and soon, the first year of university had ended. I couldn't be happier. Not because of all the work I had to for my perfect grades again, but so that I could see Yamiyo every day. After a few days after graduation, I took him straight to my house and introduced him to my parents. I had told them to come home to meet the love of my life. When we got to my house, everything was going smoothly between Yamiyo and my parents. He shook my father's and mother's hands and showed the utmost respect to them and displayed the best manners. I was glad that he remembered everything that I taught him about being civil.

Suddenly, my father called Yamiyo to the other room. I gave him an apologetic look while his face showed mock fear. When I was left alone with my mother, she suddenly went to hug me. "M-Mother! What's all this about?" She pulled away and looked at me with a look of pure happiness and pride. "Asahina, I'm so happy and proud of you. I'm sorry that your father and I couldn't be there for most of your life. We were scared of how you were going to turn out as an adult. After all, we didn't prepare you for the real world. But when you applied for university, we were secretly hoping for an opportunity like this to happen. And, lo and behold, you found yourself such a charming young man. I wish you both eternal happiness."

I blush from Mother's heartfelt speech. "Oh, come on, Mother. It's not like I'm going to get married to him. I've only been with him for a few months. Although… I wouldn't mind."

What was I thinking?! I can't be thinking about marriage after just a few months of dating. But the more I thought about it, the giddier I got.

Mother looked at me with a surprised expression at first, but then her face shifted to an expression of pure joy. "As long as you feel like he's the one, I could care less about how long you two have been together. When Yamiyo stepped foot into the house, I was sure that this young man was treating you right and you were happy with him. I'm so happy for you, Hinahina." I was immediately transported back to when I was 4 years old, when Mother sang me to sleep calmed me down with that nickname. I quickly rushed back into her arms and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Mother. For everything."

The next few years of my life were amazing. Yamiyo and I continued to go out on dates and our love grew with each kiss and hug. Then, on the four-year anniversary of the day that we met, he finally asked me the big question.

"Asahina Mitsuko, you have made me so happy these last four years. I want to continue that happiness for the rest of our lives." He then got down on one knee and pulled out a tiny velvet box and opened it. "Will you marry me?" I did as any girl would in that situation. Jump, scream, cry, hug my lover, etc. "Yes! Yes, I will!"

A few months later, I became the wife of Yamiyo Gengetsu, and at the age of 23 I couldn't be happier.

However, all good things must come to an end.

One day as Yamiyo and I went out on a date in the evening, the setting was perfect. Not too warm or too chilly, and we went to a quieter side of Tokyo. We had a splendid time together. As we were walking back, however, the ambient sounds of the bustling city were interrupted by the loud roar of a car engine.

Suddenly, a car appeared from around the corner and drove on the sidewalk that Yamiyo and I were walking on. The driver and his companion appeared drunk, but that didn't matter. What did matter was what Yamiyo did to save my life. He pushed me out of the way before facing the headlights head on. "YAMIYO!" I cried. He turned to look at me one last time and gave me an apologetic smile before getting hit with the car.

Nine hours later, Yamiyo Gengetsu was pronounced dead.

For the next few weeks, I couldn't think straight. I fell into a dark hole that I couldn't crawl out. I called his name deliriously, tried to reach for an image that wasn't really there. I cried myself to sleep every night. I threw up everything I ate. I didn't want to think anymore. I didn't want to think. I didn't want to be here. I wanted to see Yamiyo again. Please, just let me see him again.

I wanted to see him again.

Eventually, I got better. But I was never the same after Yamiyo's death. I went back to my introverted self. I talked with people, but I never made any more friends. The friends I already had gave me condolences, but I grew distant from them. I even grew distant from my own parents and caretakers, only contacting them when it was the holidays or needed favors from them. I knew I couldn't keep living like this, so I went to search for any occupations. Soon, I acquired a job as a caretaker myself at a children's daycare.

Being around children gave me a purpose in life again. I helped the kids learn lots of things and they always looked so excited to learn. It always put a smile on my face to see the beaming faces of all the children whose lives I've helped shape. It was like having my own family, and I treated each child as if they were my own. Although, I would have liked a child myself before Yamiyo had to go.

One day, I took the kids on their monthly field trip. One child, Mitsuo, was always wandering around where he wasn't supposed to. This time, Mitsuo wandered to a construction site where workers were installing lights inside of a new building. He went straight into the construction site and started running around. "Mitsuo! Come back here at once!" I ran after him after I left the other kids with the other caretaker.

Mitsuo ran underneath the fluorescent lights like he was the quarterback of an American football team. Those lights looked heavy, with two fluorescent light bars beside each other and each light encased in a metal brace. "Mitsuo! Please come back here!" Suddenly, one of the lights flickered off and started to shower sparks. That light was located right above Mitsuo's head and he just stood there in awe at the sparks falling around him. "Move!" I yell before I shove him out of the way as the light gives out and falls down onto my back. The fluorescent bar that was next to the light that fell also started to give way before crashing down onto me, placing me underneath even more weight and causing me even more pain. The first light was still hot from being on, so its burning surface burned me as well. I felt my back blister and bleed from the heavy light that fell on me. When the second light fell, it fell directly on my head and I heard a sickening _crunch_.

"G-go. G-get help." I tell Mitsuo weakly. He ran as fast as he could to the rest of the group. As I laid there, my vision started to get darker and darker. I wasn't going to make it. At least I could see Yamiyo again…

"Y-Yamiyo. I'm coming f-for you."

"_So, you are in need of salvation, is that correct?" _I opened my eyes and looked up weakly. In front of me stood a figure that seemed to be made out of pure light. The figure looked humanoid, but it was definitely not a human. The worst part about the figure is that there was no face for me to read.

"What are y-you?" _"If you so desire, I shall grant you another chance at life. However, your new life will come at a cost. Serve me, and I shall save your life. You have deemed yourself worthy enough to become my warrior after saving someone else's life." _I nodded weakly to the figure before my eyes only saw black.

My eyes fly open as I sit up in my bed. I'm back in my bedroom and the sky outside was dark with a bright moon. The clock on my nightstand read a little after midnight. _I shouldn't be here, _I thought to myself. I should be dead. The last memory I had was me slowly dying from being crushed underneath fluorescent lights. "My head, ugh. What happened?" I then remember the figure made out of light and telling me that it could save me. Suddenly, that same light that appeared in front of me appeared right beside me until the light turned into that humanoid figure again.

"_I saved your life, now your life serves me." _it said. I was at a loss for words, but quickly regained my composure. "If you saved me, how am I supposed to serve you?" _"Straight to the point, I see. I find that trait admirable. But in order to understand what you have to do; I can only show you. Are you ready?" _I wasn't ready, but I nodded my head anyways. The pillar of light shot a beam to my forehead, and everything became clear to me. How I was part of a duo that ruled the earth and space, and how that power was jeopardized by fire and water.

"_You will not work for free. If you are successful in you endeavors, you will be granted a wish of any of your desires. This wish has no boundaries except that you cannot ask for more wishes." _I could wish for anything? Anything at all? My mind raced to when I was the happiest. I was smiling, laughing, sociable, loving. But it was all thanks to Yamiyo that I was like that. I wanted to see him again. I have the chance to do just that.

"I get what you're going for here. You can't fight the other elements yourself, so you're having a human fight for you. I'll do it, if it means I get that chance to wish." When I finished speaking, a second pillar of light appeared and disappeared just as quickly, leaving behind a strange device and a card. The card had a picture of a prancing unicorn and in the corners where there would be a symbol for a playing card spelled the word "JOKER". The device beside the card looked like a belt buckle. It looked like a Kamen Rider belt, from the television that plays for the kids at the daycare. "So, I'm supposed to become a Kamen Rider."

"_Good, you know what that is. From now on, your alias will be Kamen Rider Halo. In a few days' time, you will meet up with your partner to protect the status of the order of the true elements. That partner will be the Rider of Darkness."_ Sounds scary, but then again, I'm supposed to be dead. The name didn't bother me that much. "Alright, I get the gist of it. Protect the status of the ruling elements. They'll be four other elements that will be after that status. The Rider of Darkness and I will be there to fight and kill them before that happens. Is that right?" _"Good, you understand. I'll leave you be, then. By the way, my name is Lucia" _

Sure enough, Lucia kept its word and I met with the Rider of Darkness a few days later. The time between the meeting with Lucia and the meeting with the Rider of Darkness I had already taught myself how to transform with the belt and use the JOKER card to an acceptable potential. My armor was white with accents of gold and black. The chest plate was molded to look like feathers, and I had a long white cape, also with gold accents. The helmet gave me white crystalline bug eyes that were accented with 3 gold lines that ran across said eyes, like a visor. A spear/rapier hybrid weapon hung by my side when I was in my transformed state.

When I met the Rider of Darkness, I could see that he lived up to his title. His suit was similar to mine, except his was black with gold and white accents. His cape was in tatters and his chest plate was molded to look like the crying souls of the damned. His weapon was a crown that on top of his helmet that also doubled as a shield when he took it off and flattened it. "It is nice to meet you, Rider of Light. I am the Rider of Darkness, Kamen Rider Nero. Let us do our best to crush the others beneath our feet." His tone was murderous and empty, but his voice was elegant for someone who was the Rider of Darkness. If I was going to kill, I had to sound like I meant business as well.

"A pleasure to meet you, Kamen Rider Nero. Now, shall we start our hunt?"

**Asahina: **Alright, Nero. It's your turn. Better hurry up before those boys come back.

**Kamen Rider Nero: **I know, I know. I must admit, I'm a little curious. I wish I knew what you spoke.

**Asahina: **You know what we agreed on. Now, hurry up. We don't have much time left. I went to my limit down to the last minute. I expect you to do the same.

**Kamen Rider Nero: **Guess I'm up. Prepare yourself, listeners. I will bare my true side to you.


	6. Episode 6

**Kamen Rider Nero: **My name is Yamiyo Gengetsu, and this is how things turned out for the better for me.

I was not the happiest child growing up. Both of my parents worked multiple jobs just to put food on our table, so they were never home to watch me. I had to learn how to cook, clean, read, write. All the things a parent should teach their child I had to learn myself. I didn't hate my parents, though. Because of them, I grew to appreciate the hard work and dedication that both of them carried with them proudly. I just wanted for them to take some time off and spend it with me. _Don't work so hard, let me help_ I would think. _Spend time with me, please. I'm so lonely. _

Because my parents weren't home often, I would go outside and learn things on the streets as well. I learned how to haggle and steal underneath the unsuspecting noses of bystanders. I also learned how to make connections to store owners and gangs alike. I acted as the messenger boy between the two groups and got food and money in return. All those years on the streets also made me extremely agile and fast. I used those attributes to escape the clutches of the police a handful of times.

One would think I would be a bad person after hearing about all that time out on the streets. But I also took my academics very seriously. Since I didn't have any wealth or luck on my side, I could rely on my knowledge to land myself in a college or a university so I can get an occupation that doesn't require both of my parents to come home dead tired.

During my high school days, I wasn't the quiet kid. I was actually very popular, despite my financial status against everyone else. I was very amicable and attempted to make friends with at least one person that played a school sport or was a part of a school club. Connections are important, especially in this day and age. I also started to study the art of reading body language. I could tell who was lying to me or had other things to say just from the way they were standing or how much they fidget with their hands.

When I graduated, I was at the top of my class. Therefore, I got an easy path to the closest university. I decided to study pediatrics, since that would bring in a lot of money for my family. Plus, the human body fascinated me. Such an unstoppable force of nature, yet so fragile as well. I wanted to take hold of that force for the rest of my life. However, my luck was not so great at the university. The university way of life was on a whole level above my ability to comprehend. I was struggling with this new way of living. I felt like I had to spend all of my time and energy just to not get a zero on my assignments and exams. Plus, I missed the life I had when I was free to go out at night and not worry about anything. I missed talking to people on the streets and feeling the rush of the wind in my ears. Sometimes, I wished I didn't go to college.

That's when I saw her. The most beautiful person I've ever seen.

She had long black hair, and her face was stunning. Her figure was small and timid, but she held a confidence I've never seen in anyone else, like she was royalty. She was just… wow.

Before I knew it, I was following her and searched for her every chance I got. I knew that I shouldn't be doing this, tailing a person that I know nothing about. Soon, I memorized her schedule, her dorm location, and where she likes to go to relax or study. I also realized that she wasn't very good at making friends, always at the outside of the group and keeping her head low.

One day as she was heading to her second class of the day, a swaggering male student suddenly approached her. She walked faster, but the man decided that she will be his prey in his scandalous scheme. Without thinking, I ran towards the man and shoved him over.

"Mind your own damn business if you know what's good for ya!" The man got back up quickly to see who shoved him over (it was me!). "You know, I could say the same to you. Why are you bothering someone who wants no part in your shenanigans?" He then tried to tackle me, but I knew how to defend myself. The streets do that to you. In a few swift kicks and shoves, I successfully pinned my sparring partner to the ground. "Now, get out of here, before I have to pin you again." I let go of him, and he sprinted off into the closest building.

The woman turned to look at me. She somehow got more beautiful up close, revealing fair skin and features that only a goddess could have. Right now, she looked scared, but something about her made her look like she was calm during the entire incident. "Are you alright, miss? He didn't do anything bad to you, did he?"

"I am fine, thank you. What is your name, so I may properly thank you for your act of bravery?" Her voice was light but commanding as well. She really did seem like royalty. But what she said was almost insulting. I don't do acts of good just for money or favors, I do them, so I don't feel guilty later on about it. "What are you, a princess? I didn't save you from that dude because I wanted something from you. There are still people in the world that do good deeds because it's the right thing to do. What a sad world we live in if someone as pretty as yourself is offering payment right off the bat."

She looked surprised at my comment, but quickly regained her composure. _She's really good at that_, I thought to myself. "I-I'm sorry for putting it that way. Please excuse me." She then got up and walked hurriedly away from me. _Oh crap,_ I thought. I must have made her feel embarrassed. I quickly matched her pace and stopped her in her tracks. "Hey, there's no need to be embarrassed! I've seen you around campus, and it looks like you just don't know what to say. How about this? Later today, I'll take you out on a lunch date. I'll teach you how to be as sociable as I am, and I'm pretty popular with everyone here. Deal?"

She looked stunned. I waited for her response while she thought to herself. What could she be thinking of right now? How weird it is that a random man decided to save her and then ask her out on basically a date? How strange it is that someone is talking to her? How unlucky she is that she got into this situation in the first place?

"Alright, fine. What's your name again? I never got to hear it." I was taken aback about how calm she was when she said that when just a moment ago, she was embarrassed beyond belief. I told her my name, but then asked for hers. Without a beat, she said, "Asahina Mitsuko, a pleasure to meet you."

After classes today, Asahina called me to see where I was going to take her. I haven't even decided if I made a mistake asking her out. "Don't worry, it'll be a fun surprise." _I can't even begin to fathom what the hell I'm doing_. I quickly got dressed in a pair of nice jeans, a white shirt, and a sports jacket to give me that extra _oomph_ in my attire. I quickly ran to her dorm's location.

She looked surprised that I was already there. "You're really creepy, you know that?" That was not the way I wanted to start off the "date". I tried to say something that didn't make it seem like I was stalking her. "It may seem like it, but I would call it 'unwanted supervision'. Uh, you know what, scratch that. Let's just go." _Crap! Why did you say that, out of all things?!_ I thought to myself. I blushed furiously and tried to walk away, then realizing that I was leaving Asahina behind. So, I waited for her to catch up to me so I could walk with her as we headed to the university café.

I tried to break the ice with her on the way to the university café. "You're probably wondering, 'Why is he taking me to a place like this? I deserve much more than this,' or 'I don't know what to order here! I've only been to 5-star restaurants!'" I looked at her eagerly for her response but was greeted by a cold stare. "If you're going to assume things about me, I might as well just leave you here and go back to my dorm. I'm finding these things to be very hurtful." She started to head back the way she came, but I stopped her again for the second time that day. I quickly apologized to her. "I'm sorry for assuming things about you, Asahina. I know I'm not the best person in the world when it comes to social interactions. For some reason, I just had to talk to you. I know it sounds weird, but don't you feel it too?" _Are you kidding me? Did I really just say that?_ I couldn't believe that I said that right in front of her. This wasn't some kind of destiny meeting… or so I think. So why did I say that without thinking?

Asahina looked at me cautiously and with a quizzical expression. "Yeah, I feel it too. But now that I've met you, what now? Why does it feel like I had to meet you? What happens next?"

I wasn't expecting her to _agree_ with me. Not at all. But hey, agreeing with me is a start, right? I already liked that ignorant part of her, made me feel like I can teach her the things I know. "I don't know what will happen next, but what I do know is that I like you already." Suddenly, she turned the other way and wouldn't look me in the eye. _I thought too soon, why would I ever think she would understand what I would say?_ I am such an idiot for thinking that she would like me like that! She's probably going to run away or cuss me out; maybe even both.

"W-what are you talking about? We've just met and now you're telling me this?" I waited for the next flurry of words to attack, but they never came. I was so overcome with relief and joy that I couldn't help but laugh. Of course! She wouldn't like me like that at all! We just met; how could I have been so stupid! "Y-you think… that I s-said that I l-love you?" I managed to get that out before laughing so hard I fell to the ground. I was so relieved! I'm just going to get this laugh out of my system before I get back up. "I-I ONLY MEANT LIKE A-AS I HAD A-AN INTEREST IN YOU! HAHAHAHAHA!" However, when I got back up, Asahina wasn't there at all. In fact, she had run away during the time that I was laughing on the ground. I then realized how cruel my act was towards her.

The next few days were agony to me. I couldn't find the energy to do anything. I lost motivation to clean or shower or take care of myself or my dorm. I couldn't believe my own harshness towards her. I felt terrible about how I acted towards her and how ignorant she was towards the real world. Someone like me couldn't have understood her pain to learn about the outside world. _I have to apologize to her._ That was the only way I could make this up to Asahina.

About a week later, I went to her dorm and knocked on the door. A few moments later, Asahina answered the door and scowled at me. I looked down in shame and felt all the guilt wash over me like a roaring wave. "What do you want? Are you here to humiliate me again? Or are you here because you get a high off of making people feel bad?" Every word that she said hit me harder and harder until I was on the verge of tears. I deserved this but she didn't have to be so aggressive with what she said. Then again, she might have been in the right with how much venom she put into those words.

"I just wanted to say that truly sorry. The truth is, I'm not good with people either. Sure, I have friends, but I'm the funny one. The one who makes fun of the group and humiliates them for laughs. The one who jokes around in the most inappropriate of times and relieves the group of any stress. I'm the funny one because I'm scared to show who I really am inside. How much sorrow and hardship I've had to endure when I was little and how little compassion I was shown. I know this shouldn't be an excuse for my actions, and I'm not expecting you to forgive me either. I just wanted to let you know why I acted like that. I'll be on my way."

I rambled for a little while, but I thought I got my point across. I started to head out the door and almost cried on the way out.

"Wait."

I turned around and looked at her expectantly. I was hoping something like this was going to happen, but I wasn't counting on it. Her posture looked like she was still aggravated, but relieved that I had apologized to her. Her face remained as cold and calculating as it always was. "Maybe we can still work things out." I couldn't believe my luck. Was I really going to make amends with Asahina? "Hi, my name is Asahina Mitsuko. Nice to meet you." I started to smile like I had just won the lottery and for the first time since I met her, she cracked a small smile with me.

We met on every weekend after that. Every weekend I looked forward to her stories about her experiences with fame and fortune, and how she got to do so many cool things because of her parents' status. I told her about my family relationship and financial status, and she agreed to pay for most of my things. "No, I can't let you do that! That would weigh down on my conscience forever." "Maybe, but how are you going to stop me? With money of your own?" She got me there, so she bought most of my things from then on.

Every weekend was a new story for us to remember. Getting pulled over by the police, being thrown out of a restaurant for causing too much trouble, stealing food from a convenience store. Those were some of the best times I've ever had with Asahina. There were also fun times that didn't involve the law: going out to see movies, eating out at the hottest restaurant and enjoying their meals, going for walks in the park. And every single night I was with her, I fell for her more and more until she was the only thing that I could think about.

One day, I was hanging out at Asahina's dorm. We were both laying on her couches; one an armchair and the other a three-seater. I thought about all the fun things that we did ever since I met her and wanted to continue that. But I wanted to continue that fun with a new relationship in mind. "Hey, Asahina?" She looked over in my direction while lying on the three-seater. "Do you want to be… official? Like boyfriend and girlfriend official?" She looked over in my direction. "Hmm, let me think about it."

She suddenly got up off the couch and walked towards me. She then circled the armchair that I was sitting in like a predator circling its prey. She kept circling me, and every turn I followed her with hope in my eyes. She then pounced on her prey and hugged me from behind, her eyes full of happiness. "Of course, I do," she whispered in my ear. I couldn't contain my happiness and smiled as large as I did, maybe even larger, when I apologized to her. The only difference is that she smiled just as wide as I did. I picked her up and spun her around and put my lips on hers.

I didn't leave her apartment that night.

The more time I spent with her I just kept falling for her over and over again. How could someone be so _perfect_? Someone who didn't judge me for my past sins and loves me for the person I am now, someone who I could teach the ways of the world, someone who could teach me the ways of society. It was like we were made for each other. The light to my darkness. The yin to my yang.

Before we knew it, the first year of university ended. Although I had endured many hardships with my classes, I always had Asahina with me to guide me. But those hardships were over, so now we could have as much time to each other as we wanted. We hung out even more after school was over; almost spending time with each other 24/7. Of course, we both had a few friends in case we needed some time to ourselves. But all those breaks helped us love each other more and more. Pretty soon, I was thinking about my future and how I wanted to spend it with her. And there was only one thing that can think of that can secure my future with her: _marriage._

A few days after graduation, she took me to her house. Well, "house" isn't is the best word to describe where she grew up; it was more of a mansion than anything. Her "house" was at least 20 times larger than the apartment where I grew up. Her driveway was longer than the street that I grew up on, and the area of the land was larger than I could comprehend a person owning. Her house just reminded me of how much I lived in poverty while she had the good life. I wasn't jealous of her; rather, I was actually relieved that she grew up in a place like this, because I would have never wanted her to grow up how I did when I was a child. So, I hid my fears and walked with her to her front door.

We were greeted by her mother and father, who were absolutely ecstatic that their little girl brought home her first boyfriend. I wanted for her to meet my parents, but they had split a few years prior. Plus, I had severed contact with both of them, for they both became people who I couldn't stand; they became weak. Growing up on the streets made me strong mentally and physically, and I admired all of those who were stronger than me. But those who used their hardships as an excuse were nothing but the dirt that I walked on to me. It made me sad to see them become depressed and addicted to substances, but they can find their own way back.

Asahina showed me how to greet her parents properly before we got to her house, and I was thankful for that. Her parents would have thrown me out if I had greeted them any other way other than the way Asahina showed me. I shook both of their hands and bowed to show my respects to my potential future in-laws. You have to make a good first impression, after all.

After a very delicious dinner, Asahina's father called me to follow him into another room. I gave her a look a mock fear while she looked at me apologetically. Her father led me into what looked like his study and sat at the desk that stood in the middle of the room. He then motioned me to sit across from him in a very luscious chair, and I did just that. For a few seconds, both of sat in silence while looking around the room. Then, Asahina's father put his face into his hands and started to silently weep.

"Sir, are you alright?" I started to get up, but he stopped me. His eyes weren't full of sorrow, but they were full of joy and relief. "Yamiyo, was it? I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for becoming my little girl's sweetheart. For the longest time, her mother and I were so worried for Asahina because we were never around. We both felt so guilty of leaving her behind for the show business, but we needed to so she could live comfortably. We also didn't want the life of fame for her, so we limited our time with her as well. Both of realized that that was a horrible decision a few years too late. We could have never forgiven ourselves for our ignorance of our daughter." He took a long breath before continuing.

"We knew Asahina was destined for great things, but we weren't sure how she was going to achieve her greatness. But with you around, we have no doubt in our minds now. Thank you, my boy." Asahina's father beamed at me. I couldn't help but beam back. Maybe in a little bit of time I can ask her the question. The question that I've been thinking about for the last few months. "Now's not the time," I reminded myself in my head. "You got to go make a good impression on her parents tonight." I looked back at Asahina's father and said, "Shall we go back?" "Why, of course, my dear boy," he said as we stepped back out to greet my girlfriend and her mother.

"Hey, I want to ask you something." Asahina looked at me while we laid beside each other on the bed. We had just gotten back from her parents' place and had entered my apartment. "What's up?" She looked hesitant to ask me, but she told me, "I'm really happy to have met you, but I'm scared of what the future will hold for us. Will you promise to never leave me?" "Of course. I promise to never leave you, even after death."

The next four years with Asahina were wonderful. She brought so much light into my life, where it was full of darkness and grief. On the day before our four-year anniversary, I went out and bought the most elegant ring that I have ever laid eyes upon. "That is an excellent choice, sir" said the jeweler. "I wish you the best of luck and an even better lifetime." I walk out of the store with one of my trademark wide smiles. The next night, I popped the question to her, with one knee and everything. She unfortunately said no (I'm joking, of course). A few months later, we officially became husband and wife. Our wedding day was the best thing to happen to me.

Unfortunately, things can never stay as happy as you want it to.

A few months after our wedding, Asahina and I were out in town for the night. It was a beautiful night; not too cold or hot, and the lights from the buildings were just bright enough to see but not enough to blind us. We had just finished our meal and was heading back for the night when the quiet sounds of the cities were cut through with a loud car engine.

All of a sudden, a car appeared around the corner that Asahina and I were standing on. Inside the car I could see two people that appeared to be drunk. The light blinded us, but I saw that both of our lives were in danger. Instinctively, I pushed Asahina out of the way before I got struck head on. "YAMIYO!" I heard Asahina yell my name. I smiled at the thought of her being concerned for me, even though I knew that I was going to die. "Live on for me," I wanted to say to her, but I was already losing myself to the darkness again. Soon, I fell into the pool of black and sank to the bottom.

I couldn't tell how long I was underneath until I came back up for air. I looked around, but there was nothing for me to see. I _couldn't_ see; everything was pitch-black. I couldn't even see my own nose or hands. "What am I doing here?" I asked myself? I knew I was dead, but was this all that was left for me? To be left in an empty space for all eternity? _Asahina._ My thought then went to her. Is she okay? Is she alive? How is she doing? I wanted to see her again, but I know that there's no way you can come back from the dead. That's just the rule of life.

"Let me see her again, one more time. I don't care how; I just want her back." Suddenly, a flash of golden light glowed behind me. I waded towards the light, and found myself in a shadowy place, not unlike the place I was in before. The differences were that I was now dry and standing, and I could see my own naked body.

"_So, you are in need of salvation, is that correct?"_ I look to see where that booming voice came from, but there was no source. The next thing I knew, a shadowy figure materialized behind me and loomed over me. I steeled myself and asked the column of pitch black, "Who, no, _what_ are you?" The smoky figure was unwavering, with no hint of acknowledgement towards me. _"If you so desire, I shall grant you another chance at life. However, your new life will come at a cost. Serve me, and I shall save your life. You have deemed yourself worthy enough to become my warrior after saving someone else's life."_

Did the voice mean Asahina? I did it out of instinct, but I didn't want her getting hurt. What can I do to see her again? "If I say yes, can I live again?" The voice didn't answer, but the mood shifted so that I felt hopeful. Was it the figure's doing? I looked at the column of smoke and nodded at it, and a flash of light shone in my eyes.

The next thing I knew, another column of smoke appeared in front of me. On it were two items: a metal device and a singular playing card. The device didn't look like anything special, but the card had a picture of a three-headed dog and the word "JOKER". _"There are others like me, but I am a little different from them. You see, I can only choose someone as my host after they have been killed. Your actions moved me, which is why I chose you. Now, pick up the device and place it below your navel. Then, insert the card into the device's clear window and close it. Finally, press the button on the right side of the device to come back to the world of the living. Be warned, once you press that button, you cannot take off that device; for it is your lifeline. You must keep it on at all times to interact with the living. Do you understand?"_

"As ready as I'll ever be." I put the device on my, which wrapped itself around me with a belt that came from inside the device. It said [ELEMENDRIVER] and automatically opened up the small window on a horizontal hinge at the bottom. I picked up the card and put it into the device's window slot and closed it shut, causing it to say [DARKNESS]. At the same time, the driver started to loop the sound of a low, ominous choir. I then spun the dial that was on the right side of me, and a small word escaped my lips:

"Henshin,"

A ring of pure darkness came out of the device, no, the Elemendriver and encircled me. It then expanded into a sphere and closed in on me, covering me head to toe with darkness. The darkness evaporated, leaving me covered in black and gold armor. _"Congratulations, you are now Kamen Rider Nero. Carry that title with pride, for it is your new self." _I looked at the plume of smoke in front of me. "Then, what should I call you?"

"_Call me… Ghadra. We'll be seeing each other often from now on. Let me tell you some things that you should know before I let you back into the world of the living."_ Ghadra told me of four other Kamen Riders that would try to steal my JOKER card, and it was my duty to keep it safe. I would need to defeat all of them to make sure it was truly safe. There was also the incentive that if I defeated them, then I would have one wish that could be granted to me, without the boundaries of love or death. I, of course, wanted to come back to life so I could spend my life with Asahina.

After that, I hid in the darkness of the world. The shadows were my friends, and I used them to get around. It's not like I couldn't touch sunlight but traveling in the shadows was a pretty cool power and a fast way to travel, at that. I didn't want to be the stalker type, but I checked up on Asahina at least once a day when I was let back into the real world. Some days she was crying. Some days she would just lay in bed. Those days I wanted to rush to her and tell her that it's all right, that I'm right here for her. But I couldn't, for it would make things very awkward between us.

Months later, I found out from Ghadra that I would be getting a partner to assist me in keeping my JOKER card safe from the other Kamen Riders. I would have been fine with that, except that I knew the identity of my compatriot.

Earlier that day, I had seen Asahina being saved by a white pillar of light from a near death experience involving a child and heavy metal lights, much like how I was approached by a black plume of smoke. "No, anyone but her!" I yelled at Ghadra to change the mind of the Light Being, but it was too late. Asahina would be the light-based Kamen Rider, while I would be the dark. "If it has to be her, then I can never let her know that it's me. Promise me that you'll never tell her that it's me and tell that to the other Elemental Being." _"As you wish, Kamen Rider Nero. Your lover will never find out that Gengetsu Yamiyo is the persona behind the mask."_

I met with the new version of Asahina, and she looked as stunning as ever. There were some minor differences, such as the weight that she had lost and the sad look in her eyes that won't leave. I extended my hand to her and said, "It is nice to meet you, Rider of Light. I am the Rider of Darkness, Kamen Rider Nero. Let us do our best to crush the others beneath our feet." She shook it and, for the first time in what felt like forever, I hear her voice.

"A pleasure to meet you, Kamen Rider Nero. Now, shall we start our hunt?"

Silently, I thought to myself, "I promise to meet you without this mask. Please, wait for me. For I will always be by your side."

To the other Kamen Riders that listened to this, do not say a word of this to Asahina. I want to tell her on my own terms when it's time. I know it seems like a ridiculous request, but I'm asking you as the murdered husband of the wife I love so dearly. Thank you for understanding.

**Kamen Rider Nero: **Alright, I'm done here. Let's go, Halo.

**Kamen Rider Halo: **Finally, it felt like forever. Those boys could be back any second now!

**Kaizen: **Ah, we're back! Hey, does is look like someone touched our equipment?

**Ryujin: **You're overreacting again. I'm sure I locked the door when we exited the building. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Besides, we just found these two! You must be tired or something.

**Feminine Voice: **Did you really have to drag both of us here? I was really busy with being in the middle of not being here.

**Masculine Voice: **I don't want to be here as well. Let me go back to reading my book. Please?

**Feminine Voice: **Stand up for yourself once in a while! Come on, we're leaving!

**Ryujin: **No, don't go! We have cookies and food!

**Feminine Voice: **…cookies? Well, I guess we can stay for a little longer.

**Masculine Voice: **You're not being coerced by _food_, are you? Jeez, food will almost always persuade you to do something!

**Kaizen: **Then it's settled! You two are staying here with us for the time being! For how long, I don't know. But we'll keep you fed, and that's all that matters.

**Masculine Voice: **This is going to be a while, isn't it? Well, it's a good thing I brought my book with me. Call for me when you need me, although I don't think I need to be here at all.

**Feminine Voice: **It's fine! As long as I have my goodies here, then I think that all is well, don't you think?

**Kaizen: **Well, at least someone's happy. We'll pick this up next time.


	7. Episode 7

**Ryujin: **Even after listening to the last two recordings, we still can't find a way to know anything about those two?

**Kaizen: **Why did they even bother with recording themselves? What's their goal here?

**Ryujin: **I wish I knew as well. We'll have to look into it later, though. Right now, there's something more important…

**Ryujin: **Get in here, already! We're starting the new episode, and we can't have it without you guys!

**Woman's Voice: **Ooh, can it! You two have been recording it for some time now, right? Why not just keep doing what you've been doing and keep it between you two?

**Man's Voice: **I agree, us two didn't have to be here.

**Kaizen: **We brought you here so you can write out your side of the story! Come on, we even got food for you guys!

**Woman's Voice: **I'm grateful for the food, really. But I'm not going to start talking when there is perfectly good food right in front of me! At least let me be full before I start recording.

**Man's Voice: **I'm almost finished with my book. I'll talk then.

**Ryujin: **Ugh, fine. Come on, Kaizen. We'll leave these two to their more _important _matters.

**Kaizen: **You don't seem very happy about it…

**Ryujin: **I was walking around town, trying to figure out how to gain more cards for my utility. I've only gotten two so far, but who knows how far the other three riders have gotten their cards. After all, if I want to get to that wish first, I need to make sure that the others can't get to their cards either.

"Wait a minute, isn't the '2' card the one that summons a motorcycle?" I reach into my bag and pull out my Elemendriver. I held the driver in my hand and got out the 2 of hearts. Suddenly, a flash of blue light shined in a thin slot that I didn't notice before. "Is this…" I slid the card through the slot of the driver, and it announced [SUMMONING: MOTORCYCLE]. A puddle appeared on the ground besides me and travelled to the road, where the water started forming and shifting until a motorcycle appeared (including a helmet for safety). The motorcycle looked exactly like it did on the card, which seemed impossible from all of the excessive detail. The dragon head at the front of the bike was a deep blue, and the side was covered by a giant symbol of a heart. If I was caught riding this in public, it could either make me seem really cool, or really irresponsible.

"At least this will make finding cards a lot easier." I hop onto the bike and ride off down the road. Thanks to my time at the automobile handling club at my high school, I was pretty proficient with handling most vehicles. "Now, let's see where I can find some cards."

**Kaizen: **I wake up from the nightmare that I was being experimented on by some evil organization. They had me strapped to this round table of sorts, but I was already starting to forget all about it. I do my usual morning routine of just refreshing myself and eating breakfast. I then head out to the hotel that Ms. Ochimizu and the rest of the kids were staying at. It wouldn't be a little more until the renovations on the old orphanage would be completed, and the kids wouldn't have to stay in such tiny hotel rooms.

"How have you been, Ms. Ochimizu?" I greet her inside her room as she cares for the children that surround her. "Oh, I've been fine, my boy. But what about you? You look like you haven't gotten much sleep lately. Is it because of that card search?"

I didn't want to tell her about my nightmare from last night, so I quickly agree with her. "Yeah, these cards are a lot harder to find than I thought they would. I'm going to have to find a better way of searching for these cards. Hey, where's Kyoko?" Suddenly, something flashed right beside me and before I knew it, a little girl was hugging me. "Kaizen! You're back! Can we go play? Can we, can we, can we?" I hugged Kyoko back and I tell her, "Not today, okay? I have some business to take care of first. But I did stop by to say 'hi' to all of you guys! I promise, next time I'll play with you, okay?"

Kyoko looked at me with a sad expression. "Fine, you better promise!" She then ran off to play with the other children. I used to grow up under the care of Ms. Ochimizu, back when I was at the orphanage. I've since then moved out and gotten my own place, but I still return frequently to help out. I've even been hired by Ms. Ochimizu to help with the kids, with Kyoko being one of them. Something about Kyoko always makes me smile, which is why she was my favorite one at the orphanage (even though I love all the kids as much as I can).

"So, is there anything that you need today before I head out?" Ms. Ochimizu's face then lit up, as if she remembered something. "Oh, Kaizen! There's something that you can do to help yourself. I saw this ad in something I read the other day, and I thought it would help you loads with protecting yourself. There was this karate dojo that was looking for new members, and I thought that you would want to know some things about fighting!"

Fighting, huh? I barely knew how to throw a punch correctly. But the road ahead of me is going to be filled with enemies, and I needed to defend myself. "Alright, then. Where is this dojo? I'll go for a few days to help me get some basics down." Ms. Ochimizu then showed me the address and I headed out of the hotel. "Maybe this will be fun, even! After all, they can't kill me, right?"

**Ryujin: **I spend the next 3 hours looking for cards, but to my surprise, none showed themselves. Feeling defeated, I park my bike in an empty parking lot and sit. "So, cards only show themselves when I need them the most, huh?" I think back to Kaiyojuni's words and think on how to make such a situation possible. "Hey, Kaiyojuni. Can I ask you something?"

I wait for a little bit before the water deity speaks in my mind. _"What is it? I'll be content with answering most of your questions."_ "If I wanted to find cards, does that mean I would have to stir up trouble myself? Because I would rather not do that." I could hear Kaiyojuni think in my own mind, which was an experience that I would rather not happen. _"If it comes to it, you must make a declaration to fight the other riders. But, I know for a fact that there is another force that will threaten your life. Be wary, young human."_ I widen my eyes. "What do you mean that there's another force coming for me?" But the water deity was already gone from my mind. "Thanks for nothing, I guess." I had just learned a new lesson from Kaiyojuni: don't ask them a question unless you want to be left with 2 more.

I start to head home for the day. I start the bike and ride off toward the direction of my house, when I feel the sensation of someone following me. After a few minutes, my suspicions were confirmed true. A black van had been tailing me for some time now, and they weren't losing me anytime soon. I park on the side of the road to confront whoever was in the van. I had my Elemendriver in hand, just in case things got a little hairy. The van stops, and I wait for whoever's in the van to step out. "I got a bad feeling about this," I mutter to myself.

**Kaizen: **I make it to the karate dojo and was taken aback. Out of all the things I was expecting, I wasn't expecting it to look so _modern_. The building was mostly white with smooth, tall walls and the windows looked like they had just been installed. The door was glass and automatic, and the outside looked like it was always tended to. When I got there, I was expecting an old-fashioned type of dojo, with wooden walls and everything. "Guess things aren't as you always expect them to be, huh?" I head into the karate dojo and try to contain my nervousness.

Inside, the furniture and decoration looked like they belonged in a mansion. Was I even in the right place? Just then, the lady sitting behind the reception desk called to me. "Excuse me? Are you here for the first time? I haven't seen you around here. Please, right this way, sir." I head over to the lady and ask her, "This is a karate dojo, right?" The woman smiles. "We do get a lot of confused faces whenever they come in here for the first time, but yes, this is a karate dojo. The Fujiwara School of Martial Arts prides itself in looking presentable at all times and provides only the most top notch training for our students." She gestures around the room with how much décor and style the place had.

I look around in awe. Sure, this place seemed really cool, but there always was a catch to something that looked promising. _Keep your guard up_, I thought to myself. "So, if I sign up now, how much will it be and how long will it be before I can start?" She looked to me and said, "Usually, costs aren't that much of a problem to people here. It's 2500 yen for every month here, and that's for all members. Plus, if you can't pay us, we have a program where you can act as a caretaker for the place for a few days and that will pay off your debt as well."

As she talked more and more about the system of the dojo, I couldn't help but think that this was all too good to be true. After she finished, I quickly signed up for a class, which was fortunately in an hour. "Thank you for joining us, and welcome to the Fujiwara School of Martial Arts!" I then wait on a couch in the lobby in anticipation for when I would start my new karate class. Suddenly, I remembered something. "I need workout clothes and deodorant!"

**Ryujin: **I wait for the door of the van to open in the light of the sun setting. After a few seconds of the van stopping, the door opens, and a man fully covered in all black and gold highlights steps out. I tense up, waiting for this person to approach me. When he doesn't, I call to him. "Who are you and what do you want from me?" The person took off their helmet to reveal a surprisingly young face. "You're open for discussion. I like that," said the man. "All I want from you is part of your Elemessence."

I look at the man in confusion. "My… what? I don't think I follow." The man chuckled to himself. "It's okay if you don't know what that is. All I know is that you have it. All Kamen Riders do, at least that's what I'm told." The bad feeling I've been getting just flared up, sending me a message: _get out of there now_. "How do you know what I am? Who told you?" The man looked down at his helmet and spoke to me as he was putting it back on. "I have eyes everywhere, and you can never hide from me. Ever." This fear turned to anger with the thought that this man could hunt me at anytime, anywhere, any place. I pull out my belt and put it on, [ELEMENDRIVER]. I pull out the ace of hearts and insert it into the belt window and shut it, [WATER]. The piano melody started playing and I raise my left arm above me. "Henshin!" I spin the gold dial and watch the ring of water engulf me, [CRASHING DOWN]. Once I was done becoming Kamen Rider Hydro, I run at him with all the force of a crashing wave.

**Kaizen: **I walked into my first class of the day and see that there were 5 other people in the class, including the instructor. The instructor looked familiar to me for some reason. Those eyes, that long hair, and her face was very reminiscent of someone I've seen before. "Aren't you the receptionist?" The woman faced me and smiled. "Everyone in this dojo knows karate, in some form or another." I was surprised, but I rolled with it. The next hour and a half I was taught basic moves on offense and defense. Jabs and crosses, blocks and grabs. By the end of the class, I was sweating a lot and had a lot of fun. The 5 of us lined up in front of our teacher and bowed to her as a way to signify the end of the class.

After class, I went up to her and started talking to her. "I'm still in shock that you're my teacher." She laughed. "I'm your _sensei_, remember that. And outside of class you can call me Kinuyo Fujiwara." I widen my eyes. "Isn't that the name of the karate dojo?" "Yep! I'm actually the sister of the person who runs this dojo. Currently, he's out in town doing some business at the moment, so you won't meet him today. But he's a really nice person, so I hope you do get to meet him." We walk outside to see that the sun was setting. "I've always loved the sunset. It signifies the end of a day, but the coming arrival of a new one." I look at Kinuyo. "That was pretty poetic, don't you think?" She laughs again. "Sorry! I sometimes say some things that are really strange. It's weird, but I hope that doesn't falter our friendship."

Friends already? That's kind of strange, but friends are always a good thing. "Well, I'm glad we're friends, Kinuyo. I hope to come back later to learn new techniques as well!" I wave goodbye as I head back to my apartment.

**Ryujin: **Even with the help of the Elemendriver and the suit, I was still having trouble keeping up with the moves that this man was throwing at me. Pretty soon, he had me pinned on the ground. "You're just like the other Kamen Rider that I met the other day. Both of you are so quick to pull out your drivers already in signs of trouble." I glare at him. "Get off me!" I push him off, but he quickly regains his balance. He then punches me square in the jaw and I go flying back. Things weren't looking so good for me. He approached me with a needle and says, "Stay still! If you cooperate you won't have to endure this much pain." I try to scramble away, but I was already too weakened to move.

Suddenly, I see a flash of light in a patch of grass next to me. As I look closer, it was one of the cards that I've been looking for. "About time you showed up!" I take the card and slide it through the slot from earlier, [SUMMONING: WEAPON]. A puddle of water started to form in midair and disappeared just as quickly, leaving behind a metallic blue shield. I looked at the card and saw that there was a picture of the same shield with the same design of a heart with the dragon from my ace card. The card was the 6 of hearts.

I took advantage of the situation and charged at the person with the shield. He braced for impact, but I still managed to knock him over. He gets up and we fight again. The only difference was that he was unarmed, and I had a shield to protect and attack with. Soon, I was the one pinning him down and had the edge of my shield aimed at his face. "Now, answer me. Who are you and why are you trying to get my Elemessence? What even _is_ Elemessence?" There was a pause before he started talking. "Alright, you got me. My name is Zentai Fujiwara. I'm trying to gain your Elemenessense for a secret branch of the government that has been studying the Kamen Riders for some time now. As of right now, we have found four and had contact with two, with you being one of the two. As for your third question, I don't even know that yet. All the government told me is that this stuff will figure out what you guys are and how you guys are able to harness the powers of the elements." I push my shield closer to his face. "Why did you answer my questions? Wouldn't the government want you to keep this a secret?"

He then relaxes under me. "I made it a policy to give my opponent something if they win against me. Looks like I underestimated the power of you Kamen Riders. As for the government, if you keep your mouth shut about what I just said, then you and I will be fine. Now, get off _me_." I get up and he does so as well, brushing off dirt and making sure that he's fine. "I'll just say that this mission was a failure, and that I'll get your Elemessence next time." He walks back to his van and drives off. I undo my transformation and look at the new card I got. "Well, three down and 10 more to go. Though, that was exhausting." I walk back to my own vehicle and drive back to the house.

**Kaizen: **The next few days I learn a lot more with fighting and defending with Kinuyo at the Fujiwara dojo. With each and every session, I feel like I was more and more prepared to go and take on any of the Kamen Riders that stood in my way of my wish. One day, I walked out after class was over and find that there was someone waiting outside the door. He looked fairly young and was wearing casual clothes. When he saw me, his eyes flashed an emotion that I couldn't tell before he smiled and waved at me. I wave back and start walking away. "Oh, Kaizen! This is my brother that I was telling you about! His name is Zentai, and I hope you two get along." I turn back around and see that Kinuyo was holding her brother's arm, which was the same person I saw waiting outside the door. I walk towards him and shake his hand.

"So, you're the owner of this dojo? This is a really good school and I'm honored to finally meet you." He smiles at me and said, "And I'm glad that you're here as well. Nothing makes me happier to see that there are new students wanting to learn how to defend themselves and others. After all, that's probably the reason you're here, right?" He laughs, and I laugh with him. But in my mind I thought, _I'm learning how to fight so I don't have to be injured every time I look for a card._ "Well, it was nice meeting you, Zentai. I hope that we can talk again some time!" "As do I." I start to walk away a second time. "Bye, Kinuyo! And bye, Zentai!"

**Ryujin: **A few days pass, and I was walking around town. I wasn't actively looking for cards, but at that point I took my driver everywhere I went. I walked by a fancy-looking karate dojo and my mind flared up. "_One of the Kamen Riders is nearby. You're able to deal with them, right?"_ I look around and see that a man had just exited the dojo and was walking away from me. "Of course, I can." In between my encounter with Zentai and right now, I went at the punching bag in my house for at least 5 hours a day. I also watched and read about fighting and how to effectively take down someone. So, I feel like this would be my first test from my efforts.

I run into a dark alley and quickly transformed into Kamen Rider Hydro, [CRASHING DOWN]. I then summon the shield [SUMMONING: WEAPON] and run out to find the man. I see him and start to chase him down.

**Kaizen: **As I was walking down the sidewalk, I hear something that made my blood turn cold. I heard the Elemendriver, but it wasn't mine. And this Elemendriver said another element: _water_. I turned around to see a blue Kamen Rider rushing at me with a shield. This rider had a dragon on his shield in the shape of a heart. I quickly back up and transform into Kamen Rider Pyro [BURNING UP]. I then scan my 6 of clubs [SUMMONING: WEAPON] and retaliate back with a strike from my sword. "I wasn't expecting to fight a Kamen Rider today." The blue rider looked at me with sapphire eyes. "Believe me, I wasn't either. But, fate brought us together, and now we have to face it." _This voice… could it be?_ I shook the thought out of my head. _No, it can't be. I wouldn't recognize it anyways._ I charge at the blue Kamen Rider and prepare myself for a fight that could determine how strong I've gotten.

**Kaizen: **Man, that was a fun episode to record! Too bad we have to leave whoever's hearing this on a cliffhanger.

**Ryujin: **This was a fun one. I'm still worried about why Halo and Nero decided to record themselves. On our equipment!

**Kaizen: **I'm still not sure, but only time will tell, I guess. It's still too dangerous for us to go out searching for them.

**Woman's Voice: **Hey, can we get some more food, please? You guys ran out of chicken wings.

**Kaizen: **Are you kidding me?! I was going to eat some after we finished recording!

**Man's Voice: **I'm actually hungry myself. Although, you don't have anything here that I desire. Could you go and get some cheesecake? I could really go for some right now.

**Ryujin: **You're joking, right? Just eat the things we have here!

**Man's Voice: **I'll refuse on that offer, thanks. Unless you guys want me to leave?

**Ryujin: **Ugh, fine! Come back next time to see what happens between me and Kaizen!


	8. Episode 8

**Kaizen: **Ooh, we're back with the next episode! I know someone out there has been dying to hear this one, so let's just jump right in, shall we?

**Ryujin: **Agreed. I've been waiting to do this one as well. Plus, we don't need the other two for this one. Let's start this episode off with a bang! But first, the introduction

**Ryujin: **Long ago, there were two brothers who had been separated at a very young age. One grew up to become a store worker while the other became the son of a famous politician. Each went their own separate ways, but by fate their paths will intertwine, and conflict will brew! Behold, the story of Kagutsuchi Kaizen, or Kamen Rider Pyro and Kaiyomichi Ryujin, or Kamen Rider Hydro!

**Kaizen: **Really? I thought you would have given up with that. Oh well, let's actually start this off now.

**Kaizen: **I was knocked back with the full force of a shield being shoved in my direction. My entire body ached as I tried to recover from the shock that had taken over me. Walking towards me was the blue rider that had knocked me down, with his shield in hand. Those dark blue eyes reminded me of the scary parts of the sea: unforgiving, unknown, and unwavering. I needed time to recover, so I tried to talk to the blue rider.

"Who are you? And how did you know I was a Kamen Rider?" The blue rider didn't slow his pace or lower his gaze. "My name is Kamen Rider Hydro. Don't worry on how I found you. Just worry on how you're going to get out of this one without major injuries." He then struck down to my face with his shield, which he would have hit if I had not moved just a split second earlier. "Hey, hey! How about we just try to chill for a little bit? Wouldn't you want to fight me when I'm at my best?" Kamen Rider Hydro paused for a moment, and then laughed. "Why would I do that when I can get you when you're already weakened?"

"Well, in that case…" I quickly pull out the 2 of clubs and put it through the Elemencard slot reader. The bike appears shortly afterward, and I quickly hop on. Soon, I had left Kamen Rider Hydro in my dust. "I'm still tired from karate practice, but I'm glad that's done with." I quickly head for my apartment.

**Ryujin: **A Kamen Rider that won't fight? What's the point, then? I was so close to getting some of his cards, too! I quickly pull out my own bike card, the 2 of hearts. Once my bike was summoned, I hopped on and started to chase down the red Kamen Rider. Soon, I caught up to the red Kamen Rider and started to approach him with my shield in hand. "Get back here!" My yelling seem to get his attention, as he looked behind himself to see me catching up. I then see him pull out another card, which I saw had the number 6 on it. Realizing what it could be, I slowed down enough to miss the swing of a sword.

"Two can play at that game!" I quickly catch up and try to bash him off his bike using my shield. I narrowly miss, and my time of recovery was enough for my opponent to get a strike on me with the hilt of his sword. I saw stars, but I remember that I was on a bike going really fast. I quickly blink and shake my head to regain my senses and focus on keeping up with the red Kamen Rider. After a little bit of racing through the streets and dodging cars at the same time, I attempt to kick my opponent off of his bike. This time, I was successful. He falls off and rolls onto the road. His bike disappears when I kicked him off, so all that was heard was the sound of the red Kamen Rider rolling on the asphalt.

**Kaizen: **_I was knocked off my bike._ I thought of this as I rolled on the asphalt. _I could have died!_ All of a sudden, the fear of dying was very real to me. If I didn't have this armor on, I could have _died_. I crawl away as much as I can before Kamen Rider Hydro steps on my back with his foot. "And where do you think you're going?" He tried to use his shield to knock a blow into me again, but push him off, scramble off the ground, and got into a defensive stance before he had a chance to attack. I scanned the 2 of clubs again and brought out my sword to combat his shield. "Oh? Are you actually going to fight this time?" My fear got to me and I swung desperately to get him away. He easily sidestepped my strike and punched me square in the jaw. I fell to the ground, weakened, and watched as he spun the silver dial on his Elemendriver. I heard a noise that made me feel instant fear [DROWNING END!]. Immediately, he rose in the air with a jet of water pushing him up. He then honed in on me with his foot out and flew down, kicking me square in the chest. This was enough to cancel my transformation and knock me back to the ground.

I looked up at Hydro and saw him approaching me with his shield in hand. The blue sapphires that lined the perimeter of the shield glowed in the sun. Those sapphires would also be stained with my blood if I didn't do something quick. I tried to put my belt back on, but I found out just then that I didn't have it with me. I looked around and saw that it was behind Hydro, and there was no way I would able to make it behind him with him attacking me first. I felt around for my cards, and I felt that all three of them were in my pocket. _So, I could try and run to my Elemendriver, but he would get to me first. How can I try to get my driver back without getting injured?_ Suddenly, an idea popped up into my head. It may not be the best idea. Heck, this would probably be a really bad idea. But I had to try.

**Ryujin: **For someone who's been taking karate lessons, this person really isn't confident in himself or his ability to fight. Sure, I was a bit on the aggressive side, but how else am I supposed to get these cards? Suddenly, he asked me something that threw me off guard. "You… you're not going to kill me, aren't you?" I stopped approaching him. "Wait, you thought that I was going to _kill_ you? Why would you think that? I may see you as an enemy, but you're still human, are you not? I'm not going to kill another human being." Immediately, I saw relief flood into his eyes. "Then why are you attacking me? I know the Kamen Riders have to fight, but it just doesn't… _feel_ right."

Feel right? For how long was this person not _feeling_ right about his duty as a Kamen Rider? Doesn't he know what his drive is? Why he's fighting in the first place? "What do you mean, _feel _right? There's not room for _feeling_ when you're fighting for what you want. Didn't your Element tell you of your wish? Why did you even accept the offer of being a Kamen Rider if you're not going to fight for what you believe in?" I looked into the man's eyes and saw a mix of emotions. Sorrow, fear, anger, pity. Finally, I saw an emotion that I admired: resolve. I watched as he stood up. "What's your name? I want to fight my enemy knowingly."

**Kaizen: **"Kaizen Kagutsuchi. But to you, I'm Kamen Rider Pyro." I slowly stood up from my spot on the ground. I wasn't going to be beat now. Especially after how I was reminded of my wish. _Ryujin, wait for me._ I stared down Kamen Rider Hydro will all of my determination. "I'm not going to run anymore. In fact, I'm going to take you down!" I ran towards him, and he got in a defensive stance. Instead of attacking him, however, I ran past him. I actually avoided him by running around him. I could see the confusion form in his body language. It wasn't until I reached my Elemendriver that he saw what I was aiming for.

I put on my Elemendriver and got out my ace. I inserted it into the window [FIRE] and closed the window shut. I heard the beating of drums, and I got more and more pumped with each pound. I raise my right hand at Hydro and shake two of my fingers, motioning him to come at me. "Henshin." I the quickly lower my hand to turn the gold dial on my driver. The fiery ring flew out of the window and surrounded me, and then the ring closed up to become a sphere. The sphere then deformed to cover every inch of my body. Finally, I was ready to fight as a Kamen Rider [BURNING UP].

"I'll leave you singed."

Those were the words that came out of my mouth right then and there. I didn't know it at the time, but that sentence would be the start of every fight I got into from then on. I calmly pulled out my 6 of clubs as Hydro charged at me with his shield up. I put it through the scanner and grabbed my sword from the flames that appeared beside me. When Kamen Rider Hydro got to me, I easily sidestepped all of his attacks. Blocks and dodges were the only things that were necessary, because my goal wasn't to fight him straight on. I was told in karate class that the best way to fight someone is to not fight them at all. That way, they'll tire themselves out first, which leaves you with more options. And sure enough, with each attack from Kamen Rider Hydro, the more sluggish they became as time went on.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" I kept dodging and blocking all of his attacks. "I am. You just don't see how yet." This aggravated him even more, and I took the opportunity to strike him down with the hilt of my sword. The blade looked sharp, and I didn't want to risk accidentally killing Kamen Rider Hydro.

**Ryujin: **Sorry, for interrupting, but what _is_ the name of your sword. Do you even have a name for it?

**Kaizen: **I, in fact, do! My sword's name is the Phoenix Edge. Does your shield have a name?

**Ryujin: **Yeah, it's called Ryu Defender. Although the name "Phoenix Edge" sounds really cool.

**Kaizen: **Ryu Defender? That's actually a really awesome name.

**Ryujin: **Yep…

**Kaizen: **…

**Ryujin: **…

**Kaizen: **…

**Kaizen: **Well, back to recording…

**Kaizen: **Once Hydro was staggering back from my blow, I spun my own silver dial to copy the move that he pulled on me. A tornado of fire engulfed me and blew me up into the air [SCORCHING END!]. I stuck out my foot and I was pushed at a high speed towards Kamen Rider Hydro. Before he could get back up, he was knocked back even further from my kick. I landed, and I saw that he was falling to the pavement.

**Ryujin: **I was knocked down by the finisher from Kamen Rider Pyro. _What?!_ _How is this possible?_ Just moments ago, I was on the way to winning my first fight against a Kamen Rider, and now I was being tossed around like a toy. Again. I remember my first encounter with a rider by the name of Kamen Rider Nero. How helpless I felt when I stood in his way. How his power shook me to my core and made me fear the worst out of every situation. Ever since then, I have never fully recovered from the pure darkness that I felt from that day. I still felt the sorrow from that day in my dreams, or rather nightmares. And right then, I felt that sorrow tenfold when I was falling towards the ground to my shadow.

I found that I was on the ground. I also found out that I was too tired to move. _Is this what he meant by him fighting?_ I rushed him to end things quickly so I could take his cards. What was actually happening was I was playing into his palms and tired myself out before I could make a single move on him. All of those attacks that I sent his way were for naught.

_Dammit, this is why you just shouldn't rush into things!_ All my life was full of my impulsive decisions. This was why I did so many clubs in school. The reason I was so intent on trying to get Rina to like me back and how I tried my hardest to do so. I never thought about a thing that I did when it came to quick thinking. The sorrow was coming back, and I couldn't stop it. No matter what I did, it would never be enough to beat Kamen Rider Pyro. I lied down on the ground, unable to move.

"Hey, are you alright? I didn't rough you up too much, did I?" I come to see that Pyro was looking at me. No, he was Kaizen at the moment. He was untransformed, and I saw that he was just a regular-looking person. _Kaizen… where have I heard that name before? _"Ugh…" I start to get up off the ground, but I only manage to get in a sitting position. I look down at myself and see that I was still transformed. I pull out my ace from my Elemendriver and untransformed to get some air. I look up at him with an envious expression.

**Kaizen: **It was the first time I saw Hydro as a regular person and not a Kamen Rider. He looked to be younger, though not by much. He was wearing a blue suit, which contrasted my red workout clothes from when I changed out of my karate gear to something more comfortable. His face was what caught me off guard. It was clean shaven, in contrast to my stubble. His hair was stylized, in contrast to my messy hair. But besides a few more small differences, it was like I was looking into a mirror. I studied his face and was taken back to when I was seven. When I had a _brother_.

"Is… is that you?" Kamen Rider Hydro looked at me. "Who are you talking about?" The more I looked at him, the more I was convinced that it could be him. No, that it _was_ him.

"R-Ryujin?"

**Ryujin: **I was surprised that Kaizen knew my name, even though I have never met him before. "Uh, how do you know my name?" His eyes widened in surprise, and he fell to his knees right next to me. "It's been so long…" Kaizen could barely breathe, and I didn't want to be responsible for a man that was hyperventilating and passed out. "Hey, calm down! Breathe for a second, okay?" Then, I heard something that scared me a little bit. I heard _laughter_.

"What's wrong with you? First you're freaking out, and now you're _laughing?_" He then _hugged _me. "It's you! It's you!" I push him off of me and manage to calm him down. "What are you _talking _about?"

**Kaizen: **After all this time, I found him. I found my brother! "Ryujin! Don't you remember me? It's me, Kaizen! Your brother!" Ryujin looked shocked.

"Brother? I'm sorry… I don't have a brother."

My smile faltered. "What do you mean, you don't have a brother? Of course, you do, it's me! We were separated when we were very young, but I kept remembering you for as long as I could! We have so much to catch up on!" Ryujin shook his head. "I can't remember you from anywhere in my memories, I'm sorry. Besides, we can't be brothers. I have a mother and a father, and they would tell me if I had any siblings." No, this couldn't be happening. He had to remember me! I did for so long, and yet he doesn't know who I am? "We were raised in an orphanage, remember? Our parents died in a gang war years ago. You were adopted, and I was left behind. Don't tell me you forgot?"

"There's no way that we could be brothers. I was never raised in an orphanage. I've always had my mom and dad with me. And besides, we aren't brothers, we're enemies. Our Elements are raging inside us to tell us to fight. So, even if we were brothers, we certainly couldn't _act_ like them."

Reality hit me in the face. Ryujin, no, Hydro was right. There was no way he was my brother. It was probably someone with the same name as him. And what was I thinking to say that he and I were related by blood. Because even if we were, we were destined to fight each other. That what our Elements told us.

"I'm… sorry. I guess I was too excited about something that wasn't true." I start to get up and reach my hand out to help Ryujin up. He didn't take it. We were both standing, and we looked at each other. "I promise you this, though. I will defeat you and get my wish. That's all I want." And with that, he started to walk away. I try to call for him, one more time, to make sure that he wasn't who I was looking for. I then put my hand down, because that would be a stupid thing to do. I then start walking in the opposite direction.

**Ryujin: **I walked away from Kaizen. _What a strange encounter._ It made me think, though. Could I have a brother? Probably not, but it could have been nice to have siblings when I was growing up, although having _him_ as a sibling wouldn't have been ideal. I focus back to walking, and that's when I notice her. She was covered in head to toe with white and gold. By her side was a sharp-looking lance. A white cape decorated with gold designs flowed behind her, and her helmet was blinding to look at. But what I noticed the most was the thing around her wait: an Elemendriver.

I pulled out my own Elemendriver. "I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone right now, so get out of my way. Otherwise, I'll force you to." She scoffed at me. "That's all I wanted to hear." She then ran at me with her weapon drawn.

**Kaizen: **A man in all black stood in front of me. He looked like Kamen Rider Halo, but his cape was in tatters. There was also skulls on his chest instead of feathers. But, I knew that this man didn't want to talk. I learned that the hard way with Halo and Hydro. I pulled out my Elemendriver and ace of clubs. "Look, buddy. I'm not in the mood. Get out of the way, and I won't beat you up, deal?" He then pulls out his weapon, a wicked-looking claw that looks like it could cut my own shadow. "Let's see you try to put a finger on me, then. Now, let's have some fun!" He then ran at me with his weapon drawn.

**Kaizen: **I think this a good place to stop, don't you think?

**Ryujin: **I guess so. Whew! I am beat from that one. Say, want to check the other two to see what they're up to?

**Kaizen: **Might as well, it be nice to talk to other people. Not that there's anything wrong with you, of course.

**Ryujin: **Right…

**Kamen Rider Halo: **When should we reveal ourselves? It's getting cramped being in the same place that you are.

**Kamen Rider Nero: **Relax, it's only for a little bit more. I was wondering when they would get to this part. I wanted to give my side on what happens in this next part.

**Kamen Rider Halo: **Is it really necessary, though? We shouldn't even be here in the first place! They'll probably attack us the moment they see us.

**Kamen Rider Nero: **Don't worry, I have just the thing to make them sit still…


End file.
